


Tenacity

by Strange and Intoxicating -rsa- (strangeandintoxicating)



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death Fix, Epic, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Revised Version
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-25 21:03:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 114,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3825004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeandintoxicating/pseuds/Strange%20and%20Intoxicating%20-rsa-
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The chains of fate shattered at Zack Fair's feet when he survived that day in the wastelands. For two thousand years, Gaia was tethered to the circle of destruction and hate, but now... now they all must watch and wait. This is the beginning. multiship (Edited version)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Pity

**Author's Note:**

> Tenacity
> 
> By- Strange and Intoxicating -rsa-
> 
> A/N: This story will contain Homosexual/Heterosexual pairings. If you cannot handle either, than I ask you to please turn around. The main focus of the story will be Zack's life, should he have survived. While this story will be of epic length, I will try my hardest to keep characters in character. Sexuality does not define a character.
> 
> Some of you may have seen this behemoth of a fix before. It is clocking at over 400,000 words (still in progress) over on ffn. However, I have been slowly editing it as I rewrite/reread it. There are some parts cut from the original, some added, though this is a much better version. 
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with me though this. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I, Strange and Intoxicating -rsa-, do not own, think I own, or will ever own Final Fantasy VII or its compilations. I write this because it's fun and I have no life-the end.

#  Prologue: Pity

Mako smelled of death.

_Blood pooling out of his chest, instruments of torture in the name of science... that blood congealed around his body, sticking to him, smearing across his skin. Switched with mako- overpowering, cruel, lifeless. Zack screamed in the beginning but after a while he stopped. Cloud didn't stop screaming until the end. Were they alive—had they ever been alive? Could one die and come back? Could their very blood boil and burn?_

"Keep walking," Zack uttered under his breath, pulling Cloud closer to his heaving chest. Three days of constant walking had taken its toll, but he refused to stop. The first two days were simple, "A piece of cake," he remembered saying when he dragged the limp boy from the truck. That had been eons ago when spirits were high. Not to mention the mako- the overpowering stench- was faint and swept away by the winds. Now, closer to the city, the entire surroundings of Midgar smelled of death.

"This is interesting." Zack ruffled Cloud's hair, the way he had when things had been so much simpler.

The boy groaned in response.

_Hojo snickered and folded his hands behind his back. Two experiments, one able to kill the great 'General'; oh, how interesting they were. He touched, he poked, he prodded. The results were so very, **very**  interesting. "Too much mako," he mumbled, or "not enough." Those were always the worst experiments._

'Z' went quiet early. Before their escape, specimen 'C' silenced too.

Cloud's status hadn't changed. Then again, Zack hadn't expected the guy to be okay. He spent most of his time moaning or screaming if not stuck in a dream world, reaching for nothing and everything. There were stars in his eyes and Zack would only smile and talk, as if his friend understood.

Such lies.

_Those tanks in Nibelheim's reactor weren't right. Filled with monsters and beasts-it was a flashback to Shinra Headquarters, where Hojo kept his most prized and valuable experiments. At night, when all of the SOLDIERs went to sleep and the building was quiet, the shrieking started. He grew used to the sounds by the end of his time with Hojo, but as a cadet he would curl in on himself and try to hide from the ghouls. No one took the Lab assignments. No one._

Zack trekked through the barren wasteland towards Midgar. It was the city of rich fools set on world domination, their greedy fingertips stained with Gaia's blood. On the other hand it was the city of poor rich fools, convinced their government was saving the world. Those were the worst-they gladly slipping their coins into Shinra's till. Midgar was the city of never-ending scam-artists and lies. There was no better place in the world.

Suddenly, Cloud whined and gripped his fingers to Zack's uniform. He could hear Cloud's protesting joints popping.

"You okay?" Zack asked, mussing the boy's hair. Groggy, shining eyes looked up with madness.  _Holy_... he still looked sixteen.

"Stop," Cloud gurgled and if anything, his grip tightened. There were holes beginning to unravel under his fingers. If it kept up, Cloud was a goner.

" _Specimen 'C' has been crying more as of late. I have injected him with several new strains of 'S', twenty-five milli-liters in each dosage. No change. Tomorrow I shall be upping the dosage to fifty milli-liters. Perhaps that will make the transformation begin."_

Zack looked down again, his feet still trudging through bleak, dry dirt. The brown muck clung to his shoes and their skin.

"No way I'm stopping." Zack smiled, his face strained. His feet continued to plow through the rubble and caking dirt; the area around Midgar was a barren landscape. Scientists that Zack knew before his stint in Nibelheim said it was caused by the mako pollution, but they had their doubts. Zack knew it was bullshit. Every place a mako reactor went the land died-it was like the grounds were tended with salt and fire, aching and so bright.

Cloud let go of the shirt. The black material slid smoothly down Zack's stomach as Cloud ran the pads of his fingers against the scar on Zack's face. It was gentle and innocent... yet probing and burning. He stroked the skin for a whisper of a moment before twisting his hand away, pointing up at the sky.

"Stop," he gurgled again.

This time Zack could head the undertones, the sound of another voice joining Cloud's. Zack turned his head sharply as he heard the crackle of an intercom and a speeding propeller. A few hundred feet away one of Shinra's sleek helicopters hovered in the air; the paint on the steel still looked wet. They were going to be abducted again, weren't they?  _They_  wouldn't stop until both Cloud and Zack were dead...  _They_ would follow them to the ends of the Planet if it assured their destruction.  _They_ were a parasitic thing, and if  _they_  caught them... it would be over.

"Shit, Cloud," he whispered as he protectively wrapped his arms tighter. His glance darted around the area, analyzing the terrain. Zack swore again; the rocks weren't large enough to hide Cloud and there was no vegetation that he could stash the kid in for protection. He twitched and looked back at the helicopter-he outright refused to put Cloud in danger. The kid didn't do anything wrong... and he wasn't going to let someone drag a half-dead boy back to Shinra.

"Zack, stop!" the voice yelled again. He knew that voice, knew it well. And he ignored it, taking off in a run, hoisting Cloud up to keep him from bouncing out of his hands. No time, there was no time. No place to go.

The helicopter roared by their heads and Zack ducked, avoiding a spray of dirt and rocks. His own body could only shield Cloud from so much of the damage, and when he looked down through strained eyes he noticed that Cloud curled his face into his shirt to breathe.

The wind continued to blow ferociously, howling like a mad Kalm Fang on a full moon. Zack couldn't look up for more than a few seconds at a time. His boots were suctioned to the ground and it took jolting himself to move. The faster he tried, the less his legs cooperated until Zack had to stop and dig his heels into the sand. There was something approaching and the swirling began to die.

Blood red.

" _Hey, the name's Reno, and me an' you seem to be stuck in a bit of a tiffy." The red-head swirled the vodka in his glass before lifting in to his lips. "It looks like the big boys upstairs want us ta be partners, and I ain't too happy 'bout that. My normal partner, Rude, managed to blow up some bullshit experiment of Hojo's, and now I ain't got no one to go with me for this damn assignment." He drained the glass and smacked it down to the table with a thud. "Anyway, we gotta go kidnap some guy off the plate. I gotta use you ta get in there. Some assassin from Wutai, or some shit like that."_

"Reno," whispered Zack. He needed to get Cloud somewhere, somewhere where Reno wouldn't see, couldn't hurt the kid.

Quickly, Zack hefted Cloud up on his shoulder before he took off toward the eye of the sandstorm, sitting the boy down to rest near a pile of misshapen stone. "You stay here," he whispered into Cloud's spikes. Cloud clung to his shirt again, but he pried the kid's pale fingers away. "It's okay, it'll be okay."

"Daw, ain't this a lovely scene."

Zack pulled his Buster Sword from the magnetic sheath, pointing it at the approaching Turk. "Don't move," Zack growled, voice dropping an octave.

The Turk paid no mind and continued forward. The EMR was poised on his belt-a dangerous weapon. Zack could remember the smell of burning meat and charred flesh with that thing. When Reno went to grab for it, Zack brandished the weapon before him, as though the metal would somehow deflect the electricity. Reno only quirked his eyebrow and tossed the thing to the ground at Zack's feet, hitting into his boot before skidding to a halt in front of Cloud.

"I ain't gunna hurt ya," the Turk said.

Zack tightened his grip on the sword. The helicopter nearby was hovering just above the ground; how much force would it take to bring it down?

"And why would I trust you?" Zack asked, his voice burning holes in his tongue.

Reno smirked. "I owe ya, remember?" There was false mirth in his eyes. If Zack didn't know better, Reno looked like he'd been either sick or not eating right for a while.

"You owe me quite a bit, but that doesn't mean shit."

Reno looked down like a child caught with his hand down his pants. He kicked at the dirt and put his hands in his pockets, languishingly leaning from side to side. "Well, I know that. But look at me, I'm harmless!" Demurely, Reno slumped his shoulders. There was a cat's grin across his mouth, though. Zack knew better than to trust that mouth.

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

Reno shrugged one shoulder and looked to Cloud, who had curled himself into a tight ball, before scratching his nose. "Look. I know you don't trust me, but I'm not gunna hand you over. I'm on my break." While something like that was typical of Reno, Zack couldn't help but take a step back. He dropped the Buster Sword into a offensive position, ready to strike if the Turk so much as sniffled.

Reno coughed  _(and Zack did not move.)_  "The kid needs some fuckin' meds. They said you'd be traveling with some pipsqueak, but they didn't say he was sick or nuthin'."

" _Specimen 'C', I have deemed, is a complete failure. He has been unresponsive to the 'S' strain. I have decided that beginning tomorrow another set of experiments will occur, to see if 'G' cells may counterbalance the 'S'. Chances of reunion with 'G' cells could be limited, but I am curious as to whether they will cannibalize." Hojo cackled. "Experiment 'Z', on the other hand, is doing well with the 'S' cells, but is not fully taking to them. When the new regimen begins, I will be inserting more mako and more Jenova 'S' and 'A' cells. Perhaps there is hope to this experiment yet."_

"He is really sick, and I know who can help him..." Zack looked at Cloud; the hoarse screams would begin soon. They always did. "I would kill you if he wasn't here," Zack scornfully added. "Fucking betrayer."

"That's not important right now. Just get the brat and let's go," Reno said, exaggerating his arm movements. Zack was still skeptical, and looked down at Cloud.

"Look," Reno drawled, "I get it. Fuckin' bitch some other time, or your buddy's gunna croak."

"I know that." Zack searched the Turk's face one more time. Reno looked bored, and was scratching at his palm with his fingernails, but he didn't look like he was lying. Zack knew Reno's liar face. This one seemed honest-as honest as a Turk could be.

"Before you go askin' for some ulterior motive, Tseng doesn't want me to kill ya. He was the one who suggested this, y'know."

Zack nibbled his lip, looking down at Cloud. "If anything happens, I swear to the heavens..." he trailed off.

"Well, then we ain't got nuthin' to worry 'bout. Who ya gunna bring the pipsqueak to anyway? I didn't think there were any good healers that don't have some connections to Shinra."

" _The planet thought that I was worthy," the girl mused, running her fingers through her silky brown hair. "I'm going to help save people with my powers. I've been always adept to using the cure materia. Sometimes, when I get hurt or get scared, I don't even need the materia. It's weird, but if it helps it must be a gift from the planet." She bent down, grasping the clipping shears she abandoned moments before. "So, are you going to help me cut these flowers or will I have to do it all on my lonesome?"_

"You know who," Zack said as he swung his sword over his head and into its sheath. He looked away from Reno and down at Cloud before kneeling closer. He kissed the boy's temple. "Hey, Cloud, come on, we're going to go on a ride," he whispered in a low voice as he lifted him up.

"I still don't trust you. No Hojo, right?"

The red-head choked. "You know me better; guy gives me the creeps."

"I hope you know," Zack finally said as they walked toward the helicopter, Cloud's weight the only thing making him get into the helicopter. "I'm only doing this for Cloud. I'm not gunna forgive you." Zack would have rather walked through an army, but Cloud's condition was deteriorating...

"Yeah, yeah. The entire Shinra army has been sent to find your ass, and Tseng's always got some reason for what he does. You don't need to forgive me for anything- in ya go!" They made it to the helicopter and Reno pulled out a cigarette. He held out the pack, bouncing it around in his palm.

"No thanks." Zack pulled Cloud up through the open door, sliding between the two pilot seats, Cloud resting in his lap. He knew if Cloud was in his right mind, he would've been protesting. When he got better, Zack would avoid mentioning it. As long as Cloud woke up, it wouldn't matter. He was responsible for Cloud, held his life in the palm of his hands.

"You ain't smoking? Man, that's a first." Reno looked down at the pack for a moment before shaking his head. "Well, your loss."

"What about big boy over there?" Zack roughly pointed his chin at Rude, who stared off into the distance.

Reno snickered. "Dude, we've both known Rude here for how long? Six or seven years? You know he's basically a fuckin' mute, so I wouldn't worry 'bout him." The red-head jumped into the seat, strapping himself down. "Lookie there. We've got company."

Zack traced the horizon: hundreds of SOLDIERs and grunts, tanks and trucks stood against the smoggy line. "I would find this funny if they weren't about to kill me," he snarled, his eyes glaring out at the hundreds of men. "Shut the door!" the SOLDIER suddenly yelled, causing Reno to snap his head up and fumble. The helicopter was already beginning to take off, the wind whipping against Zack's face like a monsoon's breeze.

"Shit!" the red-head yelled, knocking a box out of the helicopter. "Ah, double shit!" he yelled again, throwing his cigarette out of the helicopter. He snapped the helicopter door closed and sat back into his seat, kicking the metal-plated side.

Zack watched with muted fascination as the wind swirled the papers around. "What were those?"

"Tseng gave them to me to give to you." Reno pulled out the pack of cigarettes and took another out. "He said they were from that Ancient."

" _I'll write you letters," Aeris giggled, spinning around in the flowers. "And I'll keep writing them, every week- no, day- until you answer them! I'll hide them in your apartment, in the slums, everywhere!" She giggled again, her eyes shining in amusement. "And you promise you'll answer them?"_

He was pulled away from his thought when Cloud grunted and snuggled closer, reaching for comfort.

"So, are ya pissed off at me?" Reno asked, lighting his cigarette and taking a drag.

"No, I'm not," Zack answered, running his fingers through Cloud's dirty hair. "I'm not mad." He didn't have it in his body to be angry; he was so tired. Three days of walking and barely a moment of rest.

Zack looked down at his friend and tried to smile, but all the came was a grimace.

_I'll keep you safe if it's the last thing I do, Cloud. I promise._


	2. Recognize

#  Chapter One: Recognize

The city of Midgar was filthier than ever; the neon green light from the lamp posts made the dirt and grime of the sidewalks and buildings shine. Glass shards littered the walkways while bums lay in the streets, covered in glass and their own faeces, bottles of whiskey clutched in their stubby fingers. The women, with their 'come hither' eyes and noxious perfumes mixed with the smell of decaying corpses, stood in front of cheap hotels, keys swinging from their long, pointy fingers. Children stood on street corners, makeup adorning their androgynous faces, some with needles filled with MM - the diluted form of Mako- hidden on their persons for the clients who would be coming, always coming. This was the city every boy wished to adventure, a place where they swore they would become famous and make their fortunes.

Zack pulled Cloud closer to him as they passed a group of thugs. The raven-haired man's fingers itched for his sword... They were looking and pawing through their pockets. A knot curled in Zack's stomach as he caught them waltzing off to the side, hiding between trash cans like gutter rats as they followed the SOLDIER and his companion.

"It's a pretty boy," one grumbled, his tongue running over his upper lip. A grubby beard was present across his face, tangled into a mangled, unwashed heap. His hand touched the small switchblade latched to the ragged leather belt around his torn jeans. Zack shouldn't have been able to hear or see their plotting.

Buster was a reassuring weight on his back, positively taunting him.

"Mmm-hm, Jake, we could get a pretty gil for 'im," another whispered, reaching down to grab a shard of green glass, sharp and jagged. "How much do ya think he's worth? Four-hundred? Maybe six if we's lucky." Zack knew their decision before they came closer. The stink from their soiled bodies and open sores made Zack's nose itch uncomfortably, but the teeming mako smell was much worse.

Enhanced senses. The SOLDIER almost laughed. No one ever got used to it, the ability to grind bones in their hands or smell milk curling in their own stomach... and living in Midgar, the smell of mako was a cheap whore's perfume.

The men were too close. He shifted Cloud's body to the side, as far away as Zack thought he could reasonably hold him. His other began stretching for the Buster Sword. To the men it looked as if he was scratching his long mane of dirty black hair. Mercilessly, they began their attack.

Zack had just enough time to turn his body, one side protecting Cloud, the other jutted forward. His sword clashed with a small knife, sending the blade flying through the cold air to clatter to the street. Another blond man, weaponless, launched himself onto Zack's back, tearing at his wild hair.

"Grab the kid!" the other yelled to the man with the glass, barely missing the swinging Buster Sword.

With gusto he hadn't experience since his fight with Cissnei, Zack whipped his left arm over his head, blade slicing through soft flesh. The man gave a scream but did not let go of the SOLDIER's hair. Blood began to pool down into violet eyes, dripping from the blond's wound.

Despite the cut, the bastard was still clinging to Zack's head, grip inflexible.

Zack swung his head back and launched the blond off his shoulders. The man with the glass took the initiative. He flew towards Cloud, one hand slashing the SOLDIER's arm, a deep wound appearing on the smooth surface, the other snatching at Cloud's dirty blond hair.

At the same instant, Zack grabbed the fallen thug. "You let go of him right now or I'll fucking kill your friend here." The SOLDIER's face twisted into a macabre sneer, the blood of his enemies running down his face in streams. His Buster Sword was positioned at the blond's throat, ready to slice at a second's hesitation from the other two.

"Look at his eyes," the mangy-bearded man said, his own eyes widening with awe, "he's a -"

"SOLDIER, First-Class. Now I suggest you and your buddies quit while your heads're still attached to your bodies." Zack lifted the blade from the blond's throat, not even enough to let him breathe. Sweat beaded the man's hairline. "Now get the fuck away from us, and don't come back." Zack swung the sword back over his head and to its sheath. The blond on the floor scrambled up from the dust-mingled streets and the three men fled, tails between their legs.

"That was easy," Zack mumbled, shifting his bloody wrist from the side of Cloud's face. Cloud looked fine and only a small trickle of red ran down Zack's wrist, but it was nothing the mako inside him wouldn't take care of. As he watched, the green tendrils erupted from his inner layers of skin, pasting the wound closed, kneading the skin together. The crimson lifeblood intermingling with green mako made his hands cold.

_A flash of the labs, bright green poison mako..._

Zack shook his head violently, wiping those thoughts from existence. He was a SOLDIER, dammit, not weak. He would not submit to the memories. He  _could_  not, because then, what would happen to his promises? Slowly, he leaned against the nearby building, slumping to the ground, laying Cloud in his lap. Blood still bubbled down the blue-eyed boy's face, but he seemed oblivious to it. Zack felt a little bad when some of his blood from his closing wound dribbled into Cloud's mouth.

The building's stones felt good against his back, the coolness radiating through his shirt. Zack leaned his friend against the wall and pulled a small cloth from his pocket. "Cloud, what am I going to do with you?" Matted with blood and dried mako, he wiped the few blood drops from the corners of Cloud's mouth before attempting to clean his own face. Already crusting, the blood left brown streaks on his skin that his adroit hands were not able to clean in time. The mess, slick and wet, turned the green cloth to scarlet reddish brown. The intricate pattern on the side, which Zack had been using to scrub his face, was a small lily. At one point it had been pure white. Now, dirty beyond all measure, there was nothing left to do but throw the old relic behind him.

"Hey, you conked out on me?" He'd only looked away for a second, only a second.

There was blood. Everywhere. Thick tendrils of red flowed from Cloud's mouth and down the side of his sheet-white skin. It dripped from his eyes, pouring from his nose. The scarlet liquid seemed to even be draining from his pores. Blood dyed Cloud's shirtfront red, his hair red, even his irises were starbursts of blood.

_It's just a hallucination, it's got to be a sick, sick, hallucination._

Zack snapped his eyes closed before opening them again, seeing that Cloud was still bleeding out. This couldn't be real, it was his imagination after his first battle in so long. There was no blood, no wound, there couldn't have been.

Yet, the blood was still there, warm and sticky on Zack's skin, in his hair, in his nose. Where was it coming from? Cloud'd been fine just a moment ago. What was going on? What was wrong? What was happening?

Zack felt himself begin to hyperventilate, body going rigid. The wall against his back was no longer cool and calming, but an inferno burning off his skin. They'd only reached Midgar, just been dropped off. It'd only been a fight with a group of low-life thugs. Zack'd killed more, broken more, butchered more than that in his sleep... And Cloud hadn't even gotten a scratch! Where was the blood coming from? He'd been so careful, so careful...

The labs swam in front of Zack's eyes-what had Hojo done to them?

**Keep calm, keep calm. You need to save him. You need to make him breathe.**

Zack tilted the blond's head down and fished his fingers in Cloud's throat, trying to clear a passage. He pressed his lips against Cloud's, feeling the metallic taste of blood in his mouth as he pushed the air from his mouth to the boy's, but nothing was working...

**Stop the blood. You need to stop the blood. You need to bring him somewhere safe.**

Zack grabbed for his sword where a small shard of green materia only twinkled in its metal casing.

"Fuck!" he snarled when the level one materia did nothing. Blood still pumped out, and his heart, Cloud's melancholy heart was slowing to the pace of a funeral march. He threw the piece of junk to the ground with loathing as he grabbed Cloud and pulled him up and propping the boy on his back (barely remembering to grab the Buster Sword), hoping there was a clear way on the to the... Where was safe? Where was safe?

_Green. Green._ **Green.**

Where was there green in the slums-The church! No, Zack thought as he began running, his feet knowing where to bring him while his mind did not. The church was too far, and east.  _East,_ Zack's mind screamed, his feet following an eerily memorized route; east was Aeris's home. Aeris, she didn't need materia to heal. Aeris.

 _Pull yourself together,_ Zack chanted, his feet moving in synchronized movements of  _left, right, left, right, move, move, move._

The slums were closer, so close Zack could make out the line of women and men sitting by the local bathroom, waiting their turn to bathe in a place with dozens of others, all forms of humiliation surpassed and ignored. He may have smelled the flowers that regularly grew around the Gainsborough home, but the blood was intoxicating him, the smell of copper and sugar...The overpowering taint of mako.

She was there. He could feel it in his bones as he rushed past the masses of people, their normal faces and normal lives nothing like the girl he was searching for. The last time he had seen her she had been wearing a blue dress. Zack had told her she would have looked wonderful in pink, handing her a ribbon of the prettiest rose color. He looked for pink, any sign of pink, a rose clutched in someone's hand, a sea of brown hair tied up with a pink bow, something.

Anything.

Cloud took a small shuddering breath, coughing out more blood, leaving a red trail in its wake.

"Aeris!" Zack bellowed, running to the area which was so common, but uncommon at the same moment. A home, built of wood, stood in the middle of what seemed to be a field of blooming flowers – not something all too ordinary in such a place as Midgar.

Aeris could help, she was special. The Planet loved her...

"Yes?" The woman looked up from her flowers, fingers entwined in a rose bush, clipping shears in the other. She was tranquil, in the special place only she knew. But Zack didn't care, not then. Cloud. Cloud. Cloud. It was the thrumming of his heart, the only thing he cared about,the only important thing in the world.

When she saw who stood near her, approaching with the body of a boy in his strong arms, the color in her face drained. "Z-Zack?"

"Aeris," his voice broke. "Please, do something,"

She didn't waste a moment, rushing past the two, Zack matching her stride. The door to her home was open. As they entered, Aeris began pushing various articles off the kitchen table.

"Put him there!" she yelled, running to the kitchen sink and turning on the cold water.

Zack followed her orders, gently placing the bleeding boy on the table. Cloud's eyes opened, glazed over. He gasped, coughing more and more blood. He was even crying, though his tears were nothing but blood.

"Calm down," Zack said reassuringly, unsure who exactly he was attempting to comfort. He ran the pads of his fingers down Cloud's face, smudging the blood even more as Aeris swept by, pushing a cloth into a bucket of icy water.

"Wipe him down," she ordered, shoving the bucket into the black-haired man's hands, already pulling at her hair. "What in the world happened?" Her fingers grasped for the white materia wrapped in her hair and began yanking on the pink ribbon.

"I've got no fucking clue," Zack answered, grabbing a rag and dunking it into the water. He trembled.

Aeris took a deep breath, hands grasped together with her materia. Zack was sliding the cool rag against Cloud's pallid skin. Every inch was bloody.

His heartbeat was barely there, slower than an old man, lower than an infant. The thrum of Cloud's heart, more constant than the clicking of a clock, was fighting in his chest.

It took all of Zack's willpower not to scream.

"Come on, come on," Zack prayed, letting the bloodied rag drop to the ground with a squelch. "We've come too far. You can't die. Not now," he repeated his mantra over and over, his fingers entwined with the blond's. They were growing cold, so very cold.

Cloud's heart gave a thump, so soft Zack's enhanced hearing barely caught it, then went silent.

"Come on, come on, come  _on_." Zack's fingers pulled, but Cloud's chest stopped.

"I-I'm sorry, Zack," Aeris said after a moment, her voice low. "I couldn't do anything."

The breath caught in his throat. No. No. _Nononononononononono-_

A thump. It was small, so small the black-haired man almost did not hear it. But it was there. And then green came, the safety and warmth of green.

"Oh, thank Holy," Zack whispered, his fingers loosening a bit as he bent down to his knees in a prayer. "Thank you, Aeris." Soft tendrils of green grasped the blond's body. The beat, like a drum, grew stronger. The wispy, smoke-like substance glided over Zack's own skin for a moment, reaching out to caress his cheek...

"That's not me..."

* * *

"Thank you for letting him sleep in your room." Zack looked up from the mug clutched in his left hand, coffee swirling inside. It had been an hour, but there still weren't words for what happened.

Aeris took a sip of her tea, lips pursed, hair mussed. The blood had been washed off the table, the objects placed back in meticulous order, but the two could still see the scene folding out, the blood dripping, a heart beating so sluggishly.

"Of course." Aeris let her cup clunk against the wooden table. Her green eyes peered through her bangs to the man across from her. "You were gone. For five years. I thought you were dead." She crossed her arms and hugged herself. "I gave Tseng my letters, all eighty-nine of them. Did you get them?

"I got your last. Reno had all of the others, but when he was saving me and Cloud the box fell out of the helicopter." Zack reached for the vase, placing it strategically between him and the woman. He busied his fingers, the soft petals smooth like glass.

"Cloud?" she mused. "Cloud's his name, then?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah."

Aeris reached out, pushing the glass vase out of the plucked Zack's hands up, laying them flat on the surface of the table. Her delicate fingers ran circles over his thumbs. "Where were you all this time?"

Zack extracted his hands, placing them back on the mug, eyes glazing over. "I don't think I can talk about that yet, Aeris." His voice was filled with bitterness he couldn't hide. He stood, the legs of the chair squealig against the floorboards. "I'm going to go upstairs, check on Cloud," he said in a slightly forced tone.

Aeris winced at the sound.

He gave her a short smile that did not reach his eyes, an attempt to calm the girl and stop her from following. "You should stay down here for now." Zack pushed the chair in before he began to trek through the room. "Your mom will probably be home soon. She never really liked me."

His SOLDIER boots clunked on the ground, up the stairs and out of sight.

"What happened to you?" Aeris asked, knowing that her question would only be left unanswered, floating through the air. She laid her head down against the smooth table and wept.

* * *

He looked so peaceful lying there, wrapped in the comforter. His blond hair was clean and shiny like a racing chocobo's soft feathers. The rhythmic sound of his heart soothed Zack; it didn't sound as if it was about to stop any time soon.

Zack sat cross-legged on the floor near a pile of decorative pillows and stuffed animals, his violet eyes tracing the fine lines of sleep on Cloud's face.

"See, kid," Zack gave a fraction of a smile, "I told you I'd take good care of you. I didn't break  _that_  promise at least." The sleeping boy didn't stir. "Do you remember when you asked me, way back when, who my girlfriend was? Yeah, well, that was her. Her name's Aeris and I can already see that she likes you." The man pondered his next sentence for a moment, wording it correctly, "Well, I hope she doesn't like you too much..."

Blue mako eyes opened a little. "Zack?" the boy grumbled, his tongue running over his teeth.

Zack went to his knees, leaning closer to the boy, bending over the bed. "Hey! Morning, Cloud. Boy, you gave us a scare not too long ago. Thought I was going to piss myself, you know."

The blond lifted his hand to his eyes, rubbing the grogginess away. "Huh?" his voice cracked and he tried to lift his head from the softness of the pillow.

"Don't rush yourself." Zack gently pushed him back into the pink pillow. "Holy, you're going to kill me for letting her dress you in that. You're pretty lucky, though. I thought she might've wanted to put your hair in pigtails after we gave you a bath."

"Huh?" Cloud cocked his head a short distance, confusion evident in his clear eyes; the fog of mako poisoning was gone like the wisps of green. "Zack, what?" he mumbled, "where are we? Why did you let me sleep in?"

Zack glanced at Cloud, bewildered. "What're you talking about? You crashed out on Aeris's table. Don't you remember?"

"No, I remember everything. Mom's going to kill me though; I told her we'd both have breakfast with her last night. Aren't you the one forgetting? I mean, weren't you who told her you wanted a home cooked meal?"

Zack's breath hitched.  _How in the world am I going to explain this?_ he thought, his fingers picking at a loose string on the blanket.

"Uh, Cloud, we aren't in Nibelheim."

Cloud's eyes widened.

"We haven't been there for quite some time, actually."

The blond pushed himself up on his elbows. "What do you mean?" his voice came low, his breath stifled. "Where are we?" Blue eyes darted around the room, taking in the sight of flowers and feminine touches. "Are we in Gongaga? Is this  _your_ room?"

Zack would have laughed if it hadn't been such a touchy situation. His face curved into a small frown as he hoisted his body up, sitting on the mattress that dipped down with his weight. "Cloud, you don't remember anything about what's been happening lately, do you? What was the last thing you remember?"

_Do you remember the needles, the screams? How about your hometown burning to the ground, the fiery pits of Gaia's core, Sephiroth standing at the center of it all? Do you remember the cut on your stomach or of the gashes on your arms from the constant jabbing?_

"We'd just gotten back to the inn from my house. Mom made you stew and we'd both promised to come back in the morning for pancakes. You completely flattered her, y'know. She said I had made good friends." Cloud's eyes narrowed at Zack, who groaned.

He didn't remember the fire.

"It looks like someone killed your puppy. What's wrong? And isn't Aeris that girl you had a thing for back in Midgar? The one with the flowers?" Cloud looked around the room again. "Wait, why are we in Midgar? You said that I crashed out on Aeris's table? How'd that happen?"

Zack gently placed his hand on Cloud's head, running his fingers through the blond tresses. "Cloud... there was an accident, back at Nibelheim."

The kid began to struggle, attempting to get out of bed. "Let go! I have to get home." He pushed Zack's hand away, pulling the covers from his body. Cloud shivered.

"Haven't you heard anything I've said?" Zack asked, trying to sound calm and reassuring. It sounded cracked and drained. "We're in Midgar. Nibelheim is too far away. What's left of it."

"'What's left'?" Cloud's voice fled from his throat, his eyes growing as wide. "Wh-what do you mean, 'What's left'?"

"There was a fire, Cloud. About five years ago. You and I survived... I think we were the only ones. Your mother, she didn't make it. I'm so sorry."

"What?" Cloud's eyes filled with tears, his teeth biting into his bottom lip. "Mom's gone? She's dead? No. No, no, no!" he yelled, his voice broken. "You're lying, it's not true!"

The whimpering made Zack's chest heave, the feeling of dread encompassing his entire being. His own parents were still alive, according to Cissnei. He had no experience telling someone the woman they care for, or any loved one for that matter, was gone. Death was unnatural territory.

"Come here." The man grabbed Cloud's shaking shoulders, pulling him forward into his chest. The sobbing grew louder and Zack's hand had gone numb from all the clutching. Cloud's other hand wound itself into Zack's SOLDIER uniform, twisting in the tear tracks, blood and grime smeared down the front. "I don't know what to do, Cloud," he whispered into the blond's hair, "I just don't."

* * *

"I'm going out," Zack stated as he came down the stairs. The tear stains on his SOLDIER uniform were cool against his skin.

"What're you going to do?" Aeris turned around from the sink, wiping her hands on the nearby towel, her eyes inquiring.

"I'm gonna get a job," he said, running his hand through his uneven hair.

"You don't have to. You can come sell flowers with me tomorrow," Aeris pointed out, rubbing her hands together. "And aren't you rushing yourself."

Zack snorted. "Aeris, I'm a SOLDIER. Or ex-SOLDIER considering the facts. Do you think that someone who has that much training is going to be selling  _flowers_? And... I think that if I stay here, with Cloud upstairs, I may go nuts."

Aeris shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "Well, it was worth a try. You make sure you come back before supper. I'll go make acquaintance with Cloud in a little while." She turned away and picked up the glasses around the kitchen, lining them up next to the sink like soldiers.

Zack nodded, picking up the sword glistening near the door."I'll be back soon. Try not to scare Cloud. He's a bit shaken up at the moment."

The woman nodded shortly and Zack could see from the sway of her hips that if she was mad, it wouldn't last long. "Why, you make me sound like I'm mean!"

He followed the flowers down the path, walking between the lilies and daisies toward the city, trying to remember the Sector with the best jobs. Six was out of the question – Zack wasn't going to whore himself or sell drugs – and Sector Five only had one materia shop and a hut that sold bangles that fell apart and grenades.

"What the fuck, I'm a mercenary. Jack of all trades. There's gotta be  _something_  here," he mused. A sign tacked to a nearby aluminum house gave him the answer.

"'AVALANCHE, protectors of the world against the corruption of Shinra!'? What type of moron would post something like that here?" he laughed, rubbing his eyes with the pads of his fingers. In the corner of the poster was a small drawing of a number seven, then an angel.

"Shit, this is too easy." Zack pulled the sheet down, shoving it into his pocket.

* * *

The bar, Seventh Heaven, hadn't changed in years. It was still in the heart of Sector Seven and the drunks laying out front, some with rather distorted black eyes, had only changed faces. It was the same as it had been six years prior, when the Seventh Heaven had first been established. Zack remembered the first time he and Reno got drunk here, way back when. Five years or not, the place was the same. Even the trash cans outside were the same.

"Doesn't smell any different," was Zack's first response to the bar. He walked up the rickety stairs, bullet holes marring the surface, the smell of booze becoming more apparent. A loud, booming voice greeted the man as he stepped into the bar. All eyes turning toward him.

Zack walked calmly forward past a half a dozen or so men and women, sitting himself it the last stool. He had, once upon a time, carved his name into the rotting wood. He smiled shortly when he noticed the chiseled word was still clear.

"What can I get you?" the woman, a brunette with long, flowing hair, asked as she cleaned the glasses. Zack admired her clean form, something of a rarity in the slums.

"I need to talk to the owner of this place," he answered, "and a beer wouldn't be too out of the question either."

The woman nodded absently and reached her gloved fingers into a nearby crate. "That's five gil," she said automatically, popping the cap off. Zack's fingers pulled out a five-gil note and tossed it onto the table. The bartender put it in the till before half a dozen guns were aimed at his skull.

"You don't do this to all of your customers, do you? Or is it just the special ones?" Zack lifted the beer to his lips and took a sip. "Eh, not bad."

"You're Shinra-what do you want?"

He could hear his breath and the clicking off of several safety locks. Guns aimed at his head... why did this feel so familiar? "I wanted a beer?" Zack said as he took another sip.

"Either you're a tad dumb or sometin's up." A black man walked forward, a long gun attached to his arm. "You start talkin', boy, or I'm gunna load you with lead."

Zack coughed, reaching back into his pocket, pulling out the torn 'AVALANCHE' flier. "It said to come here. I thought a resistance group would know a little bit about mercenary work. That is what you're doing, right? Hiring?"

A woman lowered her two guns but the other five didn't move.

"How did you find us?" the woman asked, pushing her guns into the holders on her hips. She walked forward, pushing past two of the men. Her deft fingers grabbed the flier, looking at it as if it somehow had a map hidden between the lines.

"I don't know if old Billy told you when he sold the place but he wasn't the one to name this bar. While drunk off our asses one night, Reno and I drew a bunch of doodles into the counter-" Zack traced over the small seven and the angel, carved next to his name, "-with a steak knife. Old Billy just thought it was the coolest."

"Wait, are you tellin' me you named this place?" the bartender asked.

"Yup, me and Reno."

"Who's Reno?"

Zack took another sip of his beer. "The Turk."

"You know Turks? You a spy?" the black man asked, pointing his weapon at Zack's head.

 _Wonder how many rounds he could pop in my skull without me dying._ "I was a SOLDIER, First-Class. Now, well... I'm not too fond of Shinra."

The bartender's wine-colored eyes widened. "What's your name?"

A cocky smile spread across the SOLDIER's face. "The name's Zack Fair."

"Put your guns down!" the bartender yelled to the people in the room.

"Tifa, ya sure? He just said he was a SOLDIER," one of the men, very wide around the stomach, asked.

Tifa made a shooing motion. "He's fine. Just go back to eating, Wedge." She pushed her hand through her long mane of hair, leaning forward. With little discreetness the weapons went back on the table or into holsters. The only one who didn't lower his weapon was the black man, who merely put the safety lock on.

"Tifa? As in the little Nibelheim girl with the cow-boy hat? The tour guide?"

The woman winced, but nodded her head. "That would be me," she said, tilting her head down a small bit in embarrassment.

"Ah, forget it." Zack waved his hand before him. "It was a long time ago. So, let's talk about hiring me."

"Why should we hire you? You a part of Shinra, a bloodsucka'," the man grumbled, sitting down a few seats away. His gun arm was something Zack never saw before; how does one get one of those things grafted on an arm? Better yet, which nutcase doctor would think to graft a weapon on a hand? Scarlet was technically a doctor, if he remembered correctly, so maybe there were crazies who would find it funny.

Tifa gave the man a reproachful look. "Barret, I trust him. You should know that I don't give out trust easily. Now, about hiring, we're in need of another person. The next mission isn't going to be too nice and we're going to need as many men on hand as possible. I think we should hire him."

Barret gave an appalled grunt.

"What would the job entail?" he asked, glancing over at a clock, noting the time to be a quarter after five. Aeris would want him back before six.

"Well, we plan on doing our first true protest soon." Tifa chewed on her lip thoughtfully. "A massive explosion of the Mako Reactor in Sector One."

Zack blinked slowly before nodding his head. "Blowing up a Mako Reactor? That wouldn't be very helpful to the slum's economy, you know." Gaia, it wouldn't be helpful for anyone... but being a mercenary would be about taking jobs he didn't like... He hated Shinra more than the idea, anyway.

"Well, Shinra ain't helpin' the world with all the mako they's suckin' up either! They's killin' the planet! We can' jus' stand 'round and wait for them to stop, cause it ain't gunna happen. We gotta take charge now, 'fore the planet loses the rest of its life!"

"I... I don't have a right to question your motives. I'll be around some time tomorrow so we can talk details. I better get going, but I'll be back tomorrow." He took a final swig of his drink before smacking it down to the table. He was half-way out of the room before he turned back around. "Hey, do you think you might need another person besides myself? I've got a friend who may just be up for the job."

Tifa nodded her head once, going back to scrubbing at the wood. "The more the merrier!" she shouted through the rumblings of the nearby people.

Zack nodded once more before exiting the bar, tossing the flier down to the ground, stepping back down the stairs. No imagination was necessary to understand why hundreds of bullets were stuck inside the wood.

"Terrorists," Zack laughed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

* * *

"You need more clothes." Aeris brushed the hair out of her green eyes, sweat glistening on her forehead. She wrung out the SOLDIER uniform, looking at the bloody water, dirt and grime floating like clouds in the soapy suds. She pulled out the stopper, brown water to swivel down the drain.

"Tell me about it. You know how gross it is to have to wear the same clothes I was wearing five years ago? I swear, it smelled nasty." Zack twitched his nose.

"Zack, you haven't changed at all. Still, you are extraordinarily lucky my mother kept some of her husband's old clothes. It would have been a disastrous event if you had to run around without your clothes on."

Zack pulled on the gray pants, a bit too large for him. "Well, at least I'm not wearing a shirt with a chocobo on it. Poor Cloud," the black-haired man snickered as Aeris wrung out the last of the water from his dark pants, tossing them in a nearby plastic basket.

"Well, he could fit into just about anything, he's so skinny. You should be happy I didn't put him in one of my nightgowns." Aeris touched the dark blue sweater-vest, her graceful fingers gliding along a shredding hole. "Hand me the sewing kit, please." The woman reached out her hand to where Zack sat on the toilet, playing with the seam of his pants.

He handed her the needle and black thread. Her fingers worked with diligence. It always surprised Zack how quick she was with a needle, how the hole, no matter the size, was patched up easily enough.

"I remember trying to teach you how to sew the first time you came to me with a hole in your uniform." The smile on her face was the same as it had been six years prior. She waved her finger. "' _Don't sew your fingers to the shirt, Zack! Do you have any idea how bad rottins skin smells like?'"_

"Hey, I told you I was practically useless when it came to any of those 'homely' things. A SOLDIER learns how to kill someone with one finger, how to strategically destroy an entire city, the art of stealth-"

"Yet they can't cook, clean, or sew up their destroyed clothes. Let alone clean them, mind you." The woman stuck her tongue out.

The ex-SOLDIER clamped his hand across his chest, as though he was covering a bleeding wound. "Oh, right through the heart, my dear. And it isn't like my mentor didn't try to teach me. He just failed horribly."

A knock silenced the two. The door jarred open, and two mako-blue eyes peered in.

Aeris smiled and situated herself into a more comfortable sitting position, still clutching the needle. "Well, hello there. Come on in, though there really isn't much room. Zack, move your feet so he can get by." Her halo of brown hair covered her face as she finished the few last touches on the sweater, Cloud not having moved from the doorway.

Zack looked to the blond kid standing at the door, his pale fingers a contrast against the wood. He looked so young, like he had five years previous, no creases of age or worry etched into his delicate skin. He was wearing a long blue shirt with a warking white chocobo on the front, the words 'Chocobo's are cute!' across the top of the shirt. His face was filled with tension and though Zack knew the boy would never admit it, a small tinge of nervousness and embarrassment. His feet were awkwardly positioned, not being inside the room with the others, but seemingly wanting to take him there.

"There, done. Now I have to wash it." Aeris turned the water on hot, adding a splash of cleaner to the water.

"Aeris, did you get to cleaning Cloud's clothes?"

"Yes, it's clean, but needs to dry. You'll have to stay in that for a while longer. They will by dry by tomorrow afternoon." Her green eyes glanced over to the clothes, then back to the blond. A large smile graced her face.

"Um, thank you," the boy stumbled over his words, obviously not used to the kindness the woman was radiating. "Thank you for cleaning my clothes. I'm not that good at it."

Aeris looked pointedly towards Zack. "Those people have to teach you the necessities of surviving without your mother."

"Well," the raven-haired man picked at his hair with a comb that had been previously on the counter, "we aren't going back, so I doubt there will be any need to tell them how to treat their grunts and SOLDIERs." The man huffed for a moment, slamming the comb against the counter, pulling at a large chunk of hair which refused to unknot.

"Oh Zack, you're hopeless." Aeris dropped the shirt and wiped her hands on her pink dress. She yanked his head down and asked Cloud to hand her the comb.

"Just don't cut it," Zack begged.

"I doubt she'll cut your hair, Zack." Cloud looked down at his feet, his fingers playing with the design on the front of the lengthy shirt. The raven-haired man could see Cloud's milky, almost unhealthy, thighs. There were various small incisions across the pale skin, making Zack wince. He told himself that this reaction was because of the sharp tug Aeris gave to his hair, the knot staying firmly in place.

"Hey, kid, you don't know how evil this girl can be." This gained him a light pull on his tresses. "Oh, don't be so mean, Aeris. My hair is the most beautiful thing on this planet, you know, and to rip it out would be just a waste of perfection-" Aeris gave a hard yank,  _"Ow! That fuckin'_ _ **hurt!**_ _"_

The two other occupants in the room laughed, Aeris near hysterics, Cloud snickering ever so lightly.

"She didn't pull that hard," Cloud stated, taking a hesitant step forward. He kneeled next to Aeris, lifting Zack's head up, who still had swear words passing his lips. Aeris sat back, her laughter shaking her body rhythmically back and forth.

"You're such a puppy." Cloud ran his hands over Zack's head in a petting gesture. Suddenly, the laughter in his eyes dwindled to a trace. He stared off, a bit confused. "A puppy."

Zack's ears rang with the words. "A puppy?" he repeated. "Have you ever called me that before?" Cloud shrugged his shoulders and ran his fingers back through Zack's wet hair.

"I don't know. Have I?" Cloud jerked his head to the side. Aeris had quieted now and was watching the scene unravel in front of her eyes.

"I'm not really sure."

* * *

Aeris's mother, Elmyra, was not pleased with the two men in her home. It was clear by her tense actions, her short and cold reception.

"Mom, you remember Zack? And that's his friend, Cloud." Zack lifted his hand and gave a wave, but when the woman's eyes glared, he dropped it to his side. Cloud's eyes stayed trained on the glass of water in front of him, tracing the rim of the cup.

"I remember him." Elmyra glanced at her daughter's face. "They aren't staying here."

Aeris' mouth gaped open. "They've nowhere to go-"

"Well, apparently he did when he just walked off and didn't come back, didn't he?"

Her daughter huffed.

"Mother, please come over here." Aeris dragged her mother away from the kitchen table by her arm, across the room and out the front door, that had been left wide open. Aeris turned and gave Zack a reassuring smile before swinging the door shut.

"What are they saying?" Cloud didn't lift his eyes from the glass. Zack sighed and put his hands behind his head, leaning back on the chair. Two of the wooden legs went into the air.

"Eh, I don't know. I can't hear them. I can imagine that Mrs. G. is telling Aeris that I'm an evil monster who left her for five years without call, yadda, yadda, yadda. She never liked me much anyway. Corrupting her daughter or something." Zack inhaled and then exhaled quickly.

"Five years? We were gone for five years?" Cloud asked, shocked.

"Yep," the raven-haired man answered simply.

"Where were we? Or did I just recently forget everything?"

"Well, I..." Zack stopped speaking for a moment.  _Do you want to know? Really want to know?_ "I don't really know the details. I can't remember all that much either."

Cloud looked up from his glass. "You wouldn't lie to me, right?"

The raven-haired man shook his head vehemently. "No! Of course not, Cloud. Why would I lie to you?"

The blond shrugged. "I don't know."

The room was uneasy, silent. Zack cocked his head to look out the window, but it was far too dark to see the silhouettes of Aeris and her mother.

"I think she still likes you, Zack," the blond said suddenly. The chair the violet-eyed man had been sitting on tilted back and hit the floor with a loud thud. "Oh Gaia, are you okay?" Cloud yelled, jumping from his chair, skirting over to the place where Zack had been sitting, throwing his hand out for assistance.

Zack rubbed his head with one hand, allowing the other to grab hold of Cloud's helping hand. "That's why I hate getting snuck up on, you know," he whined, standing still. Cloud picked up the chair, lining it back up under the table.

"You're such a klutz." Zack nodded his head. "A weirdo." He nodded his head again. "And she likes you."

"Eh, maybe. It was a long time ago, you know, chocobo-head. Anyway, how would you know?"

Cloud winced.

"Okay, that was a little harsh. Go sit down, I'm fine." Cloud nodded and went back to his chair, his head hanging low. "You know, you need to start yelling. Get mad, do something other than just follow what I say. I'm not gonna yell back at you or anything."

The seconds ticked by slowly, agonizingly. Cloud had taken to staring off into space, tugging on his night shirt. Zack hummed a random tune, waiting for the daughter and mother to come back into the house. He sat back down, the chair screeching against the floor.

"She has a white dress in her closet," Cloud broke the silence, "it has these white flowers sewn into the sides and light pink lace. She made it about five years ago when you promised her that you would marry her-"

"What?" Zack yelled in amazement. "How do you know that? I never told you about that! Hell, I only told my mentor, a nutbag, and Se-" Zack cut himself off.

Cloud looked away, embarrassed, "I'm sorry, that was out of line."

"But how do you know that?"

"I saw it when I fell asleep. It was after you told me about mom." The blond grew quiet, a small sniffle erupting from his nose. "I don't know how or why though. I wasn't even sure if it was true until I went and looked in her closet. It was tucked between a blue and white dress and a green sweater." He closed his eyes and the raven-haired man could almost see what was playing behind the eyelids.

Zack sighed, "Yeah, I did do that."

Cloud nodded his head, eyes still closed. "I thought so. She's nice, so I wouldn't worry 'bout anything."

Elmyra and Aeris entered through the front door a few minutes later, Elmyra annoyed, her daughter ecstatic.

"You guys can stay here for now." The brunette glanced at the clock near the door, "Well, supper won't be ready for a while, but I can imagine you two will be fine for an hour or so?" She didn't wait for an answer, going straight into the kitchen. Elmyra went and followed behind, leaving the two to wallow in their silence.

* * *

Cloud fell asleep on the bed in Aeris's room and Zack had decided to take the floor. He readied for bed, changing into his underwear, the only things which had been remotely dry. The small makeshift bed on the floor wasn't comfortable; on the contrary it was hard and the blanket folded on the floor did not keep all the cold out, but it would do.

"Zack?" Aeris whispered into the dark room.

"I'm down here, on the floor," he whispered back. The door opened and her lithe figure slipped through the crack, the door shutting with a small click. She walked forward, tip-toeing over to where the raven-haired man lay, his glowing eyes guiding her towards him in the dark. Then, after reaching her goal she dropped to her knees and rested one of her hands on his cheek.

"I missed you," she said, running her finger over the scar on his face. Zack was reminded of Cloud's fingers that short time ago, in the middle of the barren wasteland. She lied down next to him, one hand touching his chest. "I waited here for you to come back. I knew if I waited long enough you would come back for me." Her breath tickled his lips.

The space closed between the two and Zack sighed. She was so soft, her skin warm and smooth. The hand that had been tracing his face moved to his hair.

"Aeris, stop," Zack gasped out when the hand, which had moments before laid on his chest, moved to the rim of his underwear. She pulled her hand back and the raven-haired man could feel her face warming with shame.

"I'm sorry, Zack," she whispered, mortified. He chuckled, shaking his head. "I just, I just..."

"Shhh." Zack pulled the woman close. They laid there for a few minutes, Aeris listening to the heart beat of the man she loved. He said, "So you remember when we met and you said that you wouldn't do anything remotely sexual until you were married?" and Aeris laughed in shame. "Well, I don't think you're the same girl you were back then," he finished.

"No, I'm not."

Zack closed his eyes. "I think you should go back to your mom's room. She won't like waking up and finding you in here with me."

"I know. It's just been so cold without you here. The flowers bloomed, but they never had the color they had when you were around," she whispered into his neck. He shivered. "You look exactly as you did when you were eighteen. Not a thing different. That's why I knew it was you. You'd been in my dreams so often, the same face of the eighteen year old who left for that SOLDIER mission, and... I thought I had fallen asleep in the flowers."

She left him not too long later, a simple kiss left on his lips. Zack looked around the room after the door shut and he sighed. Her lips left a tingling feeling, but at the same time the feeling of coldness. It was so hard for him to feel her body pressed against his own. So many things had changed since the last time they had seen one another and though her smile and hands assured him that she was still very much in love, Zack couldn't erase the past.

 


	3. Old Friends

# Chapter Two: Old Friends

"I'm going to be doing what?" Cloud threw the chocobo shirt into the basket, dressing himself in the SOLDIER uniform Zack handed him. It was wrinkle-free and sewn back together, but more importantly  _clean_. Zack watched the boy bury his nostrils into the shirt, taking a deep breath.

Zack pondered his words for a moment before answering, "We're going to mercenaries. You know, those people who work for hire, not really giving a shit what they do as long as they get paid? Yeah, that."

Cloud straightened out the collar of his purple shirt, looking into the mirror. "And you've gotten us jobs already? Doing what?" Cloud pulled at his shirt nervously. Zack folded his arms, sitting down on Aeris's bed.

"Well, there's this organization called AVALANCHE that hired me and you-"

Cloud huffed, "Zack, spit it out. Really, what are we doing? Sure, there's always an organization, but what do we have to  _do_?"

Zack made a face, his lips twisting. "Ugh, fine. We've got to go blow up some Mako Reactor. No biggie."

The look that adorned Cloud's face was priceless. "Holy! Blow up a Mako Reactor? Have you lost all of your common sense? That's  _terrorism_!"

"Well, no shit, Cloud. I think the whole of Sector Five just heard you."

The blond grabbed Zack by the shoulders, shaking him. "Have you completely lost your mind! They're going to  _kill_  us! We're terrorists. You want me to be a terrorist!"

"Quit addling my brains, kid. And yep," the words popped from his lips, "we're gonna be terrorists. Well, I don't mind so long as they pay us well." Cloud let his shoulders go. "Anyway, get your white ass downstairs and eat something. We've got a long day of prepping for this job. Plus, we've got to get you some type of weapon."

Cloud rolled his eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed. "And why can't I use a gun or something? I'm sure a bunch of terrorists would have a few guns lying around somewhere."

Zack laughed. "You, with a gun? Do you remember when you shot your commanding officer in the shoulder during target practice? You've got a shitty shot and there's no way in hell I'm going to happily put a gun in your hands. I'll go buy you a sword or something when we get to Sector Seven. There's supposed to be some awesome blacksmith there. They might have something that you can use. Anything but a gun."

Cloud cracked a smile, but rolled his eyes. "It wasn't my fault, you know. I tried to shoot at the target, but the ass just got in the way. And either way, the man deserved it." The blond shrugged his shoulders and stood up, exiting the pink room. Before he left, his fingers touched the roses in the vase on the dresser.

"You know, I never thought that flowers could ever bloom in the slums. The kids in Nibelheim once took a flower and dumped it into a pond of mako. It withered and died, crystallizing, a memory of a flower." Cloud removed one of the blossoms, spinning it between his thumb and pointer finger. "They're so small, so easily crushed." His hand ran over one of the petals, before tightening. The flower made a squelching noise as blood red coloring oozed from the petals.

"You're weird, you know that, right, Cloud?"

Cloud dropped the destroyed rose into the pocket of his pants. "Perhaps."

* * *

The walk took the better part of an hour. The train was inaccessible thanks to the check-points and Zack didn't want to inform the whole of Shinra there were two highly-sought experiments loose in the center of the Midgar slums.

"So, where is this weapon shop?" Cloud's hands were buried inside his pockets as he walked with a sloppy grace. He trailed behind the ex-SOLDIER, following to a three-story building made of various metals. Screams filtered from the third floor window, the sound of various machines from the first.

"Well, you're standing in front of it," Zack replied, pulling the door open wide to enter the shop. The smell of fuel, motor oil and sweat mingled in the man's nose. "Come on, hurry it up, buddy. We've only got a few minutes before the crazies expect us to get there and I don't know about you, but I don't wanna piss them off from the get-go."

Cloud's blue eyes opened drastically at the assortment of weapons adorning the walls. Machine guns, knives of hundreds of shapes and sizes, batons and bats were just the beginning. Gloves on mannequin hands, chains, whips and swords, bullets with mako-filled centers, combustible shotgun shells, staves, weapons everywhere. The man at the counter had done a good job at keeping the place stocked with the best weapons he could create from hand. He was currently working on a set of bangles; the bronze gleamed in the dim light.

"No guns?" Cloud asked as he glided his finger over a bullet case.

"I want my ass to stay firmly un-shot, thanks." Zack threw a knife up in the air, catching it swiftly with his other hand. He continued this morbid juggle until the man behind the counter snapped, "Quit throwin' those things around! You gonna put somebody in hospital."

"Hey, don't get so defensive, gramps." The knife was placed back on the display table. "I wasn't going to poke anyone's eyes out. No harm done." The man hmphed in response and went back to work on the bangles.

Zack watched Cloud touch a long staff, then place it back down. He was nibbling at his lip, brows were furrowed in concentration.

"Do you have any more swords?" Cloud asked the man behind the counter, who rolled his eyes.

"Yep, I'll go grab some from the back." The man tossed the bangle to the table, ignorant of the loud thunk. He stepped behind a thick brown sheet, disappearing for a few moments. He came back with several swords in his hands, still sheathed. "I don't have anything like that big son-of-a-bitch on your friend's back, but these are trusty swords. Do good damage and are probably a shit-load lighter than that hunk of metal."

Zack gaped in outrage, "I'll have you know this sword was made by one of the best swordsmiths in Gaia, buddy." Zack's violet eyes narrowed, glaring at the man.

"And I don't give two shits. It's a lugger of a piece and there's no way this kid here can possibly carry something even half of its size." The man turned to look at Cloud, sizing him up. "Now, boy, I suggest sumtin' like this-" He pulled one of the swords from the stack, unsheathed it and passed it to the blond.

Cloud took it from the man, his eyes tracing over the weapon. "This one won't work. It's too light. I trained with something a bit heavier. I won't be able to properly balance without something that weighs more." He handed the thin blade back to the man.

"How 'bout this one?" the black-smith handed over a short sword with a long point. Cloud did not even take it into his hands, shaking his head. He tilted his head up, scanning the wall again for a weapon he might have overlooked. Zack looked up too, but saw nothing that caught his eye. But, Cloud did.

"That one-" Cloud pointed to a long katana, his hand trembling, "I want to try  _that_ one."

"But Cloud," Zack started, "you've never learned how to handle one. I know you can use basics, but something like katana were solely for-"

"SOLDIER, First-Class," the boy remarked, his voice bitter, "but I can do it. Zack, you know I can."

Zack rubbed his hand through his spiky black locks. "Heh, go ahead and pull the sucker down."

The black-smith pulled out a ladder, put it down in front of him and began climbing up. It took a moment for him to un-bolt the sword from its stand, but when he handed it over to Cloud, Zack saw the sparkle in the boy's eyes.

"Go ahead an' unsheathe it," the man prompted, sitting back down. His hand touched the bangles and the tool, but he did not look away from Cloud. The blond did as he was bid. Zack saw the pure pleasure run through his face. His eyes magnified, touching the weapon as if it was a small child.

"Perfect weight. Not too flashy. Maybe a tad too short, but I think this is good." Cloud twirled the hilt around, the metal flying, causing prisms of light to catch on the blade. "Zack, I think this is as good as it's going to get for me."

"Here, give it to me." Zack took the weapon from his friend's hand, twirling it expertly. It flashed as Zack swung the blade. "Eh, not my cup of tea, but it isn't so bad. How much?" Zack handed the katana back to Cloud, who re-sheathed it and placed it on the glass counter.

"Four hundred."

Cloud whistled. "That's way too much, Zack," he whispered. "I can get the gun, you know."

Zack snorted. "Like I said, like holy I'm going to let you shoot me. How 'bout three-fifty?" The raven-haired man pulled out his wallet and placed two hundred gil notes and a fifty on the counter. "Will that be enough?"

"I guess," the man snatched the money off the counter, placing it protectively inside of the cash register. The man didn't even count to check how much he had taken (which had, in fact, been far less than what he had admitted to.)

The pair left the store, Cloud strapping the new sword onto his back. "So, where do we need to go now?" he asked, back to following the older man. His fingers would occasionally reach over to fiddle with the hilt.

"We've gotta get more details on the mission they hired us for. I don't know about you, but I think this may be fun. We'd be getting back at Shinra!"

"But why would we need to get back at Shinra?"

Zack coughed out the excess air that invaded his lungs. "Hey, you alright?" Cloud asked as the raven-haired man leaned against a nearby building, sputtering. The blond stopped to pat him on the back, almost reassuring.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Zack coughed once more, shaking his head. "Sorry 'bout that. We should get to the bar in a minute or so. I don't want that guy with the gun grafted onto his arm to shoot my ass."

Cloud cracked a small smile. "Yeah, let's go." Strangely, he did not ask anything further on Shinra. Zack wasn't able to keep the relief from washing over him in warm cascades.

* * *

The bar was empty. The two ex-Shinra workers stood out front on the bullet-hole riddled ground, staring into the bar. There was a small child, probably around the age of six, scrubbing the counter down with a dirty wash-rag. Her short hair was in pigtails, small yellow ribbons wrapped around the ends. She had a soft face, fairly plain but angelic at once. She looked up from her chore, doe brown eyes large and curious.

"I'm sorry. We're closed right now." The girl went back to scrubbing at the table, dipping the washrag in soapy water.

"Uh, we were told to come by. Well, I actually said that I was going to come by today, but that really isn't important." Zack walked forward, weaving through the misplaced chairs and tables, to sit at the bar. Cloud looked around for a moment as if he expected someone to jump out of nowhere and yell 'Boo!' but followed.

"Are you the spiky-headed bastard daddy was talking about?" The girl shirked away from the two men sitting on the stools.

Cloud chuckled.

"Uh, yeah, that'd be me, kiddy. So, where are they? I thought they'd be around here somewhere, but I'm kinda lost," Zack questioned, running his hand through his hair. The girl gave a soft smile, jerking her head to a nearby pinball machine. It was bright orange but the words on the piece of paper told Zack that it was 'Broken'.

"Huh? Kid, I'm not good at pinball and anyway it's busted." Zack pointed to the sign, showing the girl that it was, indeed, out of order.

"No, go hit the side of it with your foot. It'll take you to daddy." The girl smiled at Zack, whose violet eyes opened in disbelief.

"Uh, alright then, kiddo," Zack looked over to the blond at his side, whispering, "Let's just humor the kid." Cloud nodded agreement. They both stood up and walked over to the machine.

"So, just kick it?" Zack asked again, pointing to his foot and then to the side. She nodded her head enthusiastically. "Alrighty then, move you great big hunk of junk!" His boot smashed into the side. It was still for a moment.

"Holy!" Cloud grabbed onto the machine. One foot had not been on the platform, which had begun to move, and he nearly fell. Zack managed to stay on his feet. The two, Cloud shaking slightly, got off the platform. It was a small, secret hideout, a computer sitting in the corner and a small table with chairs towards the middle. There was a punching bag in the corner of the room and a flickering television placed on another desk. Blueprints were pinned to the walls, black pins and red marker covering the surface. Zack scanned the group of people, his violet eyes meeting the gaze of every member present.

"Well, I thought I'd seen cheesy things on the television, but damn, that tops them all." He jerked his head, black spikes flying, to the pinball machine that was starting to return upwards to the bar. "How the hell did you manage to rig that thing anyway? It isn't all that easy to make something like that."

The woman from the day before raised her hand. She was pretty, her dark brown hair tied out of her way in a quick bun, a headband securing it. She had been typing something a moment before, the keyboard on her knees. "That would be me," she said and stuck out her hand, not moving from the computer chair. Zack leaned forward and shook it. "The name's Jessie."

"You're some kinda woman. I'll be damned if many people in Shinra could do something like that, especially with the few materials people in the slums are able to get their hands on." Zack dropped the woman's hand and looked back towards Cloud, who was once again picking at his shirt.

"That the kid you wanted us to hire too?" Barret looked at Cloud as though he was an insect. "You gotta be shittin' me, spiky head. Wat's ya name, boy?"

Cloud straightened himself out, changing his stance, "Cloud Strife."

At the announcement, a loud gasp came from the corner.

"Cloud?"

"Is that you, Tifa?" Cloud stared numbly at the woman. She had grown from the popular little girl with smiles to a woman, her curves and bust line proving that time had most certainly passed. Her hair had grown long, far longer than it had been and Zack could see on Cloud's face that he was wondering how long ago he had last seen her. Five years, right?

"Cloud Strife," the woman said, mouth opened in awe. She covered it with her hand, almost in tears. "Oh, it's so good to see you!" she exclaimed, running forward to hug the unsuspecting blond.

"Uh, hello, Tifa. It's been, uh, a long time, hasn't it?" Cloud awkwardly patted the woman on the back.

"Tif, you know this pip-squeak?" Barret asked, taken aback. He stood up and rammed his fist, the human one rather than its mechanical counterpart, into the nearby punching bag. "What's with you knowin' all o' these Shinra scum? You hate Shinra!"

Tifa let go of Cloud. "But I knew them before I hated Shinra. They're good people. I've known Cloud here since we were little," Tifa punctuated the remark by gesturing towards knee-height, "and I know I can trust him. Zack, I've known for about five years." She quieted then, face going slack, wine-colored eyes downcast. She tried to cheer herself up, smiling her large smile. "You can trust them, Barret. I promise you that."

The large black man glared at Cloud. "And I don' suppose you know why we're here, do you?"

Cloud shrugged and said, "All I know is you hired Zack and needed another person. I would like to know a bit more, especially if you're sending us on some type of wild goose chase or suicide mission." The boy withdrew his katana from the sheath on his back and placed it on the nearby table, situating himself in one of the seats at the table. Three other people sat, waiting. Cloud looked at them. "So, are you going to explain this or am I going to just have to make assumptions?"

Zack followed the suit, pulling out his Buster Sword and taking a seat in another vacant chair. Barret and Tifa did so as well, but Zack was too busy staring at Cloud to notice.

Something had changed. The embarrassed teenager who didn't even want to be the Planet's savior or have a part with a terrorist organization such as AVALANCHE was now ordering around the long-time members. He hadn't even wanted to come an hour before, had only caved at the prospect of Zack pulling the blond there by force if he hadn't walked forward himself. He almost expected Cloud to put his feet up on the table, smearing his dirty boots against the plans.

"So, what do we have to do?" Cloud folded his hands in front of him, looking at the people around the table, "You know what? Better yet, who are you?"

"Well, this is Biggs." Tifa pointed a finger - Zack noted the pair of leather gloves she wore with the finger-holes cut out - to a man looking through a dirty magazine. He waved a hand nonchalantly, not even glancing up from a picture of a woman with little clothing on. There was an article on the page, but that was certainly not where the man's eyes were glued to. "That's Wedge," she indicated, another man at the table who was engrossed by a cheeseburger.

"'Ello," the man nearly choked on the food he bit into.

Tifa sighed, rolling her eyes wearily, nodding towards Jessie. "Jessie has already introduced herself and you know me, but this guy over here," Tifa playfully swatted the black man's arm, "is Barret. He's the leader of this organization. We're called AVALANCHE."

Cloud nodded his head, blue eyes tracing over the people at the table.

"Hey, who's the little kid upstairs?" Zack asked, remembering the smiling child.

"That's Marlene, Barret's daughter."

Zack blinked, remembering that the girl had pale, almost sickly white colored skin, one of the few color choices when you lived in the slums. That kid was definitely not biologically related to the guy with a gun grafted into his arm, a sinister look plastered on his face as he considered Cloud.

"Ah, alright." Zack nodded his head. He wanted to ask why a small child, a girl at that, was scrubbing down the wooden bar, but he didn't. The look of Barret was too unnerving to make him open his mouth. "So, let's talk a little more about this plan of yours," Zack said instead, his purple eyes glowing.

"And perhaps I can mention how stupid it sounds right from the start," Cloud joined immediately, gaining several dirty looks.

* * *

"They could have killed you, ya dodo-brain!" Zack laughed as the two walked home, brains slightly addled from their encounter with the terrorist organization. They had survived the meeting of hardcore terrorists, not a mark on them.

"What, they expect to go into a Mako reactor with a half-assed plan and a bag of tricks up their sleeves? I remember the SOLDIER trial runs. They were a hundred times more difficult than blowing up a reactor, yet we came up with good enough ideas, right?" Cloud looked over to his raven-haired friend, a small smile splayed on his face.

Zack looked back to the blue-eyed boy, a smirk plastered on his face. "Well, they had a few good points, anyway. You know, about how to make the reactor blow? I think it was that Jessie girl. She could have worked for Shinra if she wanted. God knows the Turks would take her in an instant. In any case, we've got a week and a half to get ready for this thing. So maybe we should go kill some monsters for the hell of it?"

Cloud contemplated the thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think we should. I want to get used to using this katana." He nodded as the two walked off the beaten path, the blond pulling out his sword with his right hand, preparing for battle.

* * *

Sector One was quiet. The sounds of the passing train made the ground shake as its wheels grinded against metal tracks. Jessie, the genius, had managed to create several fake identification cards decent enough to trick the Shinra system, prompting Zack to proclaim his undying love for her, which in turn caused her face to turn a crimson hue.

"Funny thing is that he'd be serious too if it wasn't for Aeris," Cloud interrupted the two, looking up from his spot on the floor to regard Jessie, who was now looking at the floor of the car, ashamed. "Anyway, why isn't Tifa here? I remember her saying that she wanted to come along."

The brunette glanced over to Barret, who was yelling at Biggs. "Well, Barret told her to stay behind. No one was able to take care of Marlene and he hates leaving her alone. Either way, if he had been able to find someone to take care of her or not, I don't think she would be coming with us. Barret has a big-brother complex."

Zack nodded empathetically, sitting down on the floor. There was plenty of room for him to take a seat on a chair, the bums lazing in the next car over, but he wanted to sit with Cloud. He had gone to his knees, then to his ass a few minutes before when the train had taken off.

"Hey buddy." Zack smacked Cloud's knee lightly in a friendly gesture.

The boy pulled his legs closer to his body, placing them underneath his chin. "I hate things that move," he grumbled, a grimace crossing his face. A shade of sickly white, all of the blood erased from the surface of his skin.

"You think you're going to blow chucks?" Zack asked.

Cloud made a retching noise.

"Don't be so crude," the blond gagged out, taking one hand and placing it over his mouth, trying to keep his stomach from doing flip flops.

Zack smiled understandingly, patting Cloud on his back, then upon noticing the movement was to bold - his face had begun to turn a hideous puce color - he went to rubbing circles on the boy's back, feather light and calming. Cloud's stomach seemed to become slightly soothed, a slight pink tinge returning to his otherwise white face.

"We should be arriving soon," Barret bellowed through the compartment, staring out of the grimy window, out at the Mako Reactor, its green pollution curling around the pipe, spilling the disgusting contents into the air.

"You know this is the city of fools, Cloud?" Cloud looked up from his legs, leaning into his friend's comforting hands.

"How's that?" the blond asked, looking into violet eyes.

"I think it may be something in the water, y'know. People get these weird feelings and do stupid shit, kinda like this. The people rebel and the companies flourish. Something has to be going on for this to happen. Midgar is the birthplace of fools and morons."

Cloud pondered the words for a moment. He stared out into nothingness, his eyes absorbed in what was outside of the window - or the lack of. "But, then what are we? Are we fools too? What makes us that way?"

"We," Zack laughed, causing the others to look at the two on the ground, "we are perhaps the biggest of fools. Myself, mainly. We'll never be able to see the world the way we should."

"And how is that?"

"Well, Cloud, we need to look through blood-colored glasses. Then we can see the world as what it is: a cesspool of grimy, grainy lies and utter bullshit." Zack patted Cloud on the back one last time, before standing up and saying out the the car, "Well, I think we've gotten to Sector One, guys."

Cloud reached over his head, his fingers finding the smooth hilt of his katana.

"Are you nervous?" Zack asked, lending the boy a helping hand to get to his own feet.

The blond stared at him. "I've been puking up for how long? What do you think?" He leaned up and flicked right between the man's violet eyes, making them go watery and eliciting a loud yell from Zack.

"Ouch! That hurt!" Zack cried, covering his eyes.

Cloud nodded stiffly, smoothing out the creases in his shirt. "Well, then think before you talk."

Zack grumbled.

* * *

The Mako Reactor was enormous. Zack touched the door panel, sticking his finger on the numbers '7263', the metal door opening, the words "Access Granted," monotoned by a computer generated voice. The smell of mako wafted through his senses and the raven-haired man had to step back from the overpowering stench.

"A'ight, we've got about thirty minutes to bring this piece of junk down to the ground. Spiky-head, chocobo and me are gonna go set the bomb."

Cloud pulled his katana from his back, brandishing it smoothly. Zack followed suit, his fingers feeling the metal hilt of the sword.

"Hey, why are you still calling us by those stupid names?" Cloud asked the burly male.

Barret narrowed his dark eyes at the two, clipping the safety on his gun off. "Cuz you ain't got my respect, boy. I don' trust yo' kind." The man loaded a few bullets into the nearby window to emphasize the point. It shattered, leaving in its wake a field of sharp slivers of glass, only crushed further into the metal flooring when someone walked by, trampling them.

"Jessie, Biggs, Wedge, get the combos for the rest of the reactor punched in. Then you deal with anythin' we can't."

The named trio nodded their heads before running off, Wedge closer to wobbling.

The other three walked for a moment before reaching another door. "And why don't you trust us?" Zack's lips had uttered the question, voicing the words on both Cloud's mind and his.

The black man turned around and aimed his gun at the two. "You Shinra scum. I don' care what Tifa says, once you 'cross a line there ain't no comin' back." The man shifted his arm, pointing it and showering an MP that had been running up behind the group.

"You know what? Whatever." Zack shook his head angrily as he darted forward, avoiding the spray of bullets from the black man's grafted gun and the gun the MP was firing, delivering a swift slice to the MP's stomach. Blood pooled on the floor where the man fell limp, his hand clutching at the long gash on his stomach, bleeding through his blue Shinra grunt uniform.

Zack barely spared a glance at the man lying on the floor, swinging his sword to get the blood off. Dribbles of crimson spattered the floor, far from where the MP lay, his intestines and entrails covering the otherwise clean silver floor.

The black-haired man looked up to see Barret looking approvingly at the dead grunt, though Cloud... Cloud's eyes were wide with shock, blue eyes staring into the warm red liquid, dazed.

"Come on, we have to get moving," Zack stated, looking at Cloud in particular. He walked up, shaking the boy slightly. "We need to go, we've only got about thirty minutes and I don't know about you but I have a feeling Shinra isn't going to be all that thrilled with us."

The blond nodded his head mutely, the katana in his hands dropping down.

"Get yo' asses movin'!" Barret yelled, already far ahead, shooting his gun at a group of MPs and robo-guards.

"Uh, you should take care of the robo-guards, alright?" Zack said. The boy nodded his head again as the pair advanced at a run, Zack aiming his Buster Sword for the head of a grunt, knocking the dull side against the helmet, cracking it in half.

Cloud pushed his weight into the katana, punching it deeply into a weak spot in the robo-guard's armour created by several bullets. The blade swiftly cut into the center of the robot, its arms which had been flailing moment before now stopping, the electrical current killed.

"Here-" Zack threw the blond a green orb as he dodged a sword thrust. Cloud caught it in his right hand. "It's Lightning," Zack supplied, "You'll have more use of it than I will."

"Thanks!" he yelled, pushing the materia into a slot on his katana. His fingers glowed white for a moment, then faded back to their original color. Grasping the hilt of his sword, he closed his eyes, concentrating. The nearby robo-guard, Barret's shots barely weakening it, exploded, shrapnel flying in several directions to embed in several other enemies. Cloud winced.

"Hey, do that again!" Barret yelled, pointing his gun to another of the robo-guards. Cloud nodded his head and performed the spell again. The machine gave an awful lurch, spinning around in circles, whirring. The sound was ear-splitting, it set Zack's teeth on edge.

"Turn that fucking thing off!" Zack screamed, slapping his arms around his head in protection from the horrid screeching. It was the last enemy in the way and by far the loudest.

"Eh!" The blond nearly dropped his katana as he summoned yet another bolt to appear from nowhere. It smashed into the robot and the sound stopped.

"Oh Gaia, I think I've gone deaf," Zack mumbled, returning his sword to his back, avoiding the puddles of red on the ground. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cloud sheath his sword, staring at the dead bodies in morbid fascination.

"We've got ten more minutes to set this damn thing off, otherwise we ain't gonna have the chance anytime soon." Barret waved his arms as he spoke, making the gesture to start moving.

As the three ran, Cloud questioned the black man, "Why does this have to happen today? Surely there would have been a better time." Zack agreed. The plan seemed to have been rushed forward a bit, starting out too late to get things properly set in concrete.

"Cuz of the output." The black man skidded to a halt at the end of the walkway, grabbing hold of a long ladder, "We got info on the output bein' upped this month, meanin'-"

Zack cut him off, "Bigger explosion."

And with that he jumped down.

"Zack!"

"Spiky!"

The black-haired man landed on his feet, looking back up at his companions. He had a small, playful smile on his face, directed solely at Cloud. "Oh, Cloudy boy, do you think I'd jump to my death? Puh-lease. Have a little faith. Now jump!" He made an insane motion with his hands, trying to entice the boy to jump.

"It's three stories, Zack! I am  _not_ jumping!"

Zack could imagine the look of absolute refusal on the blond's face. He cracked a smile. "It'll get you down here faster. I promise you won't get hurt. If it looks like you're going to die, I'll catch you," Zack yelled up to his friend. The boy refused and followed Barret's example, calmly climbing down the ladder.

Barret looked ruffled when he got to the end, stopping off, mumbling under his breath.

"What was that, Barret?" Zack asked, running a hand through his hair.

The man's dark eyes narrowed. "You a crazy mothafucker, Spiky. I don't know how chocobo-head deals with you. I'd kill ya."

Zack smiled. "Aw, didn't know you thought so highly of me, Barret. I'm honored, truly honored." He gave a mock-bow to the large man, who hmphed off to the rails, stomping his large boots against the ground.

Cloud shook as he got off the last step, wiping his brow. The moment he was stable, he rounded on Zack, his fist pummelling his jaw. "You stupid, crazy bastard! Don't do that again!"

"Or what?" Zack rubbed his injured mouth, running a hand over his honey skin. A bruise would be forming, turning the skin a sore bluish purple. "You gonna hit me again? Sorry Cloud, but that was a pretty weak-ass punch." It wasn't true, of course, because his skin felt like it was on fire, but he wasn't about to admit that to the blond.

"You want another," he seethed, pulling Zack by his SOLDIER uniform. "Don't ever do something like that again."

"You know, you're kinda cute when you're all pissed off like that," Zack laughed. The boy let go of him like he had been zapped and the raven-haired man held his hands up in a submissive gesture. "Alright, no harm done."

The boy gave him one last withering glare before walking off. Barret spat on the ground, his eyes narrowed at the others.

"If ya'll done, maybe we can get this operation done. Now here-" the man pulled out a small timer bomb, pushing it into Zack's hands, "now, yur gonna go place that on the center pole and we're gonna get the hell outta here. Set it for ten minutes."

Zack ran his calloused fingers over the small bomb. It fit into his hand like a small child, feeling almost as delicate too. If it was dropped it would no longer function and Jessie's hard work, their hard work, would have been useless. "I want a raise if you're going to have me do this," Zack said pointedly.

One of the man's bushy eyebrows rose. "Like hell! Now strap it on and let's get the hell outta here."

Zack did not fight, but shook his head for a moment, taking a few steps forward. "Whatever you want, bossman. Though, I will be telling Tifa about you being a cheap-ass."

This raised a reaction in the man. He stomped his foot on the ground and snarled, "Fine, an extra hundred. Now shut the fuck up an' put that thing up. I don' wanna hear anotha thing 'bout money 'til we get back to the bar."

Zack lifted two fingers to his brow, giving the man a mock-salute. "You got it, bossman."

* * *

The jagged gash across Zack's forehead bled freely, oozing crimson down his head and into his eyes, morbid drips splattering across the metal floor. The machine, if it could even be called that thanks to its heinous red body and enormous spiky tail, shot off several more bullets into the air, nearly hitting Cloud and Barret. The blond swore violently, wiping his brow.

"It won't die!" Cloud yelled over the sound of ricocheting lead. His hand faltered, dropping an inch. A bolt of electricity surged out, heading straight towards several blue and red circuits that stuck out from the machine. "I don't know how many more of these I can handle."

"Stick in there, chocobo-head!" Barret's voice was filled with tension; he was shooting sparingly now, the materia that supplied his bullets running low. "I ain't got too many left. We gotta kill this piece o' shit now!" His dark eyes drifted to the bomb, a few more rounds entering the metal monster. "We ain't got no time neither. Look!"

"Five minutes?" The color from the fight drained from his tan skin as Zack's eyes widened at the red flashing numbers. He stood still for a moment until a stray bullet whizzed by his ear and another crack of lightning hit the monster.

Barret's gun-arm straightened, precisely pointed at the monster's head. He took a deep breath, dark eyes following the red scorpion monster with vast interest as he calmly pushed a small red button on the center of his weapon. Zack and Cloud moved away instantly, already knowing what would happen and how unpleasant it would feel to get stuck between the monster and the black man. The last time he had let loose that particular bullet the entire Mako Reactor had shook violently, warming to an unpleasant degree.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit-" Zack's voice echoed through the reactor as Barret's gun went off, sending a vast stream of fire out, scattering shrapnel everywhere. "Get down!"

Cloud dove to the ground, katana clutched in his left hand, face white. His bright blue eyes were wide and his other hand was covering his head in hopes to keep any flying metal from embedding itself into his skull. His body went limp against the ground. Zack was next to him, the Buster Sword driven into the ground, preventing any of the major parts of the robot from flying into them.

"Well, that sure was close," Cloud said and took a deep breath, nearly choking.

Zack wiped his brow with the back of his hand, browning blood and dirt streaking across his face. "Eh, Cloud, you alright?" he asked, another small drip of blood trickling down his face, his brow furrowed in worry. He pushed out his hand to shake the boy. "Hey, you alright Cloud?" he said, lightly shaking his companion.

The blond's eyes opened a small fraction before snapping closed, pulling him subconsciously closer to the safety that Zack's Buster Sword provided. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little startled."

Zack gave a wisp of a smile, but Barret's heavy voice startled the two. " _Move! Move! Get yo' skinny asses outta here!_ " His large boots clomped off in the direction of the ladder. Zack's eyes widened and he jumped up, grabbed hold of the hilt of his sword and ripped it from the ruined ground. His eyes ran back to the timer.

"Three minutes until detonation," Cloud whispered, dumbstruck. His mako blue eyes widened considerably as he pulled himself, stumbling, off the ground, avoiding the hissing metal. "Zack, three minutes until detonation." The horror shined in his eyes.

"Sheath your sword," Zack yelled, pushing his own back into his sheath. "Now, don't fight with me-" Zack gave the blond a glance before picking him up and throwing him around his shoulders. The teenager's head was right next to his and as Zack began to run, Cloud gave a foolish smile and said, "Well, this has been fun, hasn't it?"

The black-haired man's legs pounded against the ground, avoiding the dead bodies, some with new bullet wounds. The ladder was close. Zack jumped onto it, hands moving as quickly as they could. Cloud clung on; his eyes closed almost peacefully, though his fingernails dragging into Zack's skin answered louder than facial expressions. He smirked and said, "Yeah, it's been fun. Boy, I thought I'd have to drug you to get you to claw those nails against my back. Next time I'll just scare the shit out of you." His own fingers were wet and clammy.

Cloud dragged his fingers against Zack's back, painfully hard. "Less talking, more moving!" he yelled into the black-haired man's ear, voice ringing. Zack pulled himself over the last of the ladder, jumping over to the walkway.

They ran through the reactor, Zack cautiously avoiding the bodies after on lone hand reached out through a vast sea of blood, pulling at his leg. Bloody, the fingerprints were still on his pants leg, barely standing out to anyone else, but were a gruesome reminder of the blood spilled on the ground. The poor fools never had a chance.

The stench of mako was overpowering now. Zack wondered for a moment, as he and Cloud dove into a pipe, why he hadn't noticed it before. The reactor was creating too much - a very smart move on AVALANCHE's side, a bad move for the Power Company. How much longer would he have to suffer the smell of death before he was able to escape? How much longer before he could go home to his beautiful town, the forests filled with trees and plenty of hiding spots, the wheat fields a bit further out, small streams crisscrossing one another, the fish bursting out, seemingly waiting to be caught in the nets? There was only a mild scent of mako, even if the newest Reactor had been built in its center.

"You know, when we're done with this I'm taking you out to eat somewhere real expensive," Zack laughed, slamming his finger into the elevator button repeatedly, "How bout that, Cloud?"

Zack felt Cloud cringe.

 _Come on, ding you sonofabitch,_  he thought, the smile never easing from his lips. The door chimed a few seconds later and Zack let out a joyous whoop. "I told ya we'd be fine!" Zack's laughter filled the blond's ears as the two went flying out of the enclosed space, down another hallway. Voices were up ahead and the sound of numbers being typed into a keyboard with fast keystrokes. As Zack turned a corner he nearly collided with Jessie, who was typing insanely into the keypad. Barret and Biggs stood nearby, pounding their fists into the unopened door.

"Shit!" Jessie banged her fist into the keypad, eyes watering. "Come on!"

"What's wrong?" Zack asked, his voice laced with panic. Cloud tightened his grasp on Zack's shoulder.

"It won't open," Jessie said, looking down at the numbers clutched in her hand, her fingers typing the combination back into the pad. A dull thud rose, but nothing else. She covered her face, trying to concentrate, "They must have locked us out. Barret! I don't know what to do!"

"Marlene," the black man mumbled, metal fist clinging into the steel. He did not answer the woman.

Zack's mind raced. "Did you type it in right?" His voice held a feverish pitch, bright violet eyes shining.

The woman gave a huff, throwing the paper to the ground. It floated down innocently, bright bold numbers vivid against the off-white paper. "Yes! I've tried everything, but nothing's working." She typed the numbers into the pad again.

Zack smacked his hand against his face, as to wake himself from a nightmare."Shit. Uh-uh... Fuck." He ran a hand through his hair, panicking. "Fuck! Override the damn thing or something!" Cloud's breath was ragged and his heart was thumping, sounding like the twin to his own. Blood pumped through his ears.

"How? There isn't an override code!"

"Yes, there is. Move!" Zack pushed past her, Cloud still hanging onto his body. Zack's fingers began touching the black keys. "Fucking AVALANCHE! You're terrorists, for Gaia's sake. Do more fucking research!" His fingers typed in the numbers '5745634' in fast succession, hitting the enter key afterwards. "Yes-!" he burst out as a faint ringing went through the air.

All four legs bolted out of the open door, down the hallway. Zack typed in the number again at the next door, the same result happening.

"Wedge, get your ass movin'!" Barret yelled across the bridge to the outside world. The fat man's stomach shook as he jumped up from his place on the floor at hearing his leader's voice.

"Bossman, you need to pay me more for this shit," Zack laughed out, running faster, passing the AVALANCHE members and finally arriving at the building which lead out of the reactor. The four others ran along behind the pair of ex-Shinra workers. The SOLDIER picked up more speed as he smelled freedom.

* * *

The bomb went off not fifteen seconds after the group barricaded themselves inside a safe house built of pure, solid steel. Near every Mako Reactor there was one for the SOLDIER's and guards, made specifically in case of a malfunction of some sort. Zack highly doubted that the idea of a bomb being able to get inside of one of Shinra's prided Mako Reactors had even graced the President's mind.

"That'll keep the planet alive a little longer," Jessie sighed, wiping her brow.

"Zack?" Cloud asked, turning to look at the raven-haired man.

The man crossed his arms across his chest, sighing wearily, "Yeah, kiddo? What's up?"

Cloud pulled his sword from his back, placing it on the ground near his feet, giving the teenager room to move around comfortably. "How did you know that code?"

Barret hmphed. "Yeah, Spiky. How'd ya know? There mus' be thousands of number combos, and you guess the right one on the first shot?"

Zack resisted snorting. "I was a SOLDIER. You did get that memo, right?" The members of AVALANCHE, save Jessie, rolled their eyes. Zack continued, "You don't expect a SOLDIER First-Class to know the override number? Uh, not to have a 'duh' moment, bossman, but, well uh, 'duh'."

Barret narrowed his dark eyes at Zack. "Jes' for your cheek I'm takin' that outta your paycheck."

Violet eyes opened considerably. "Hey, I just saved all your asses. I think I want a bit more, thank you. I mean, if she-" Zack pointed his thumb at Jessie who glared in response, "-had done the rest of her searching she would have found the code and I wouldnt've had to think so very,  _very_  hard for the answer. So, pay up." Zack threw his hand out expectantly.

"You wait 'til we get back to the bar 'fore we start talkin' 'bout money." Barret kicked a nearby wooden box, sending it reeling into the nearby wall. It splintered.

The five sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, Jessie twiddling with a nearby computer, waiting for a time when they could properly escape.

"You  _do_ know that this is going to be one of the first places they check, right?" Zack had taken a dagger from the nearby table and was cleaning underneath his fingernails with the tip. "Boy, it sure does suck to get blood under your nails," he mumbled, scraping the brownish red residue from his index finger. He wasn't sure if it was his own or not. The gash on his head had stopped flowing and the drying blood was beginning to cake his eyes closed.

"Boy, we ain't stupid. Now, get yo' asses up an' move out. We meet on the train in fifteen." His eye twitched, "And if you ain't there you don't get no pay when we get back. Now!" a growl rose from his throat, "Move out!"

Cloud stood up, putting his sword away. "Come on, let's get out of here. I think I can already hear the sirens." The blond was right - blaring sirens of the Midgar Security Team, the ones who came before the firing squads and SOLDIERs, filled his ears.

* * *

She was shining against the dirty smoke and coughing men. The running boys who pushed her down had somehow missed her glowing face, too blinded by panic. Her flowers spilled across the dirty ground, several pairs of boots crushing some into the gravel, their petals bleeding into the sidewalk.

"Here." Zack pulled the woman up, watching her blush and dust her pink dress off. "You know, you really shouldn't be working tonight, especially since it's so late out."

Cloud knelt on the floor, picking up some of the flowers before they were crushed.

Aeris pursed her lips. "Zack Fair, I can protect myself. I've got-"

"-a wooden stick that you like to call a rod and it isn't even here, Aeris. You know how I feel about you runnin' around in the middle of the night selling flowers in the freaking slums. You have any idea how many loonies are running around at night?"

Her long braid of hair whipped forward, nearly knocking him out. "Zack, I can take care of myself. You were one of those strangers, once."

Cloud stood, placing the flowers delicately into the basket. She gave him a warm smile and he looked down at the ground, his foot kicking into the ruined flowers. "Oh, thank you, Cloud. You didn't have to do that."

"God, toots, you make poor Cloud blush like crazy," Zack smirked, making baby faces at the blond. "Aw, is wittle Cloudy-woudy blushy-wushing 'cos of Aeris?" Zack pulled at his face as though it was elastic.

Cloud shrugged away from the exploring, grabbing fingers, his cheeks aflame.

"Oh, sweetheart, ignore him. It's the only way you're going to survive without your face turning into a radish. Here-" Aeris pulled a flower, a white lily and handed it to Cloud. He accepted it with gentle hands, not to break the flower's innocence. "You keep that safe, please. It's rather hard to get pure white lilies to bloom. I can make things grow, but not them. Not very often, anyway." Aeris's green eyes warmed.

Zack looked at his watch, noting it was 12:16. Barely six minutes left to get to the train station. "Well, I hate to do this, but me and blondie have to run. Barret said he wouldn't pay us if we weren't on the next train and I don't know 'bout you but I don't want all of our hard work to go to waste." He pulled the brunette close and placed a small kiss on her lips.

They pulled apart a second later. "Something," Aeris started, "something about you has changed, Zack. I'll see you tomorrow, as soon as you get back home." She gave one last smile before walking off, the wicker basket swinging in her hand.

* * *

"You're lucky you got here," Biggs whispered quickly, looking around to make sure his leader was nowhere close by. "We got attacked by a bunch of Shinra guards. I thought Barret would kill you if you didn't get here soon." The man winced when he heard Barret begin to curse out again.

"Bastards ain't gonna fuck with me!" Bullets erupted from his gun, aimed at the brick wall.

"Who gave him more bullet materia?" Cloud asked, his feet cracking a few pieces of glass against the floor.

Biggs shook his shoulders. "I don't know, and really all I care about is avoiding him like the plague. He'll kick my ass or put another bullet in my ass, and that really isn't too fun."

Zack's attempt at stifling his snicker failed. "It could have been worse."

"Eh? How could it have gotten worse? You have any idea how unpleasant it is to get a bullet removed from your ass with a pair of tweezers?" Biggs turned and looked at Cloud to explain. "AVALANCHE can't get treated in Shinra-run hospitals. You know, terrorist and all," he rolled his eyes, scratching at his ear, "so I got stuck having Tifa pull it out with a set of tweezers. Damn, I thought I would've given anything to have Tifa's head between my legs..."

"Get the fuck on dat train!" Barret shouted over the hissing of the mako engine. He stomped on, slamming into several men exiting the train.

"Zack, I don't think I want a bullet in my ass."


	4. Let's Talk

# Chapter three: Let's Talk

"Rendezvous at the hideout in ten minutes," Barret bellowed as the six disembarked the train at the last stop, the closest place to Sector Seven. The temperature had dropped ten degrees, one of the few signs of the approaching winter that the people of the slums could feel. It didn't rain; what they got was murky water, the runoff from on the top of the plate which would be swept down through the broken drain pipes to leak out onto their heads.

The black man clapped his normal hand and gun arm together and began running off in the direction of the bar. The other three followed, avoiding the crowd of people leaving the rest of the train. The mako steam rolled off the metal vehicle, the people walking through it seeming not to notice or care. They were regulars, common people who dealt with mako daily.

Zack stepped down the concrete stairs, avoiding the people in the station as best as he could. Cloud was behind him, following the outrageous hair to keep himself from getting lost. It was almost a comical sight, a man with spiky black hair and a teenager with blond spiky hair, perfectly contrasting one another. The taller, more muscular man could be said to be slightly frightening with his large sword strapped to his back, the hilt poking over the top of his black mane, while the blond was short and slightly scrawny, his own weapon less intimidating than that of his partner.

"We must be quite a sight," Zack mused, running a hand through his hair, a grin on his lips.

The blond laughed. "Yeah, we must be. I mean, there has to be a reason why everyone is staring at you and me like we're going to kill them. The Buster Sword isn't helping either."

Zack nodded before glancing through the crowd, noticing none of the AVALANCHE members around. "I think we'd better go. I wanna get paid, eat, take a shower, get laid and go to sleep. Maybe even get drunk if we have the time."

Cloud rolled his eyes.

Zack's grin widened, "Alright then, getting laid sounds a little far-fetched, but I still want to do the rest. Y'know what?" he stopped, giving Cloud a suggestive look, "Maybe I  _can_  get laid. What do you say?"

A hard punch to the side wiped the new-found smirk from the older man's face, his violet eyes widening. Cloud pulled back, a stomp in his step. "You go get laid in a brothel and we'll see Aeris wipe the ground with your head. And don't even  _think_  of asking her. Go jack off in the shower like everyone else."

"Aw, you jack off in the shower, Cloud?" Zack questioned, his long legs catching up to the blond after a moment of hard running.

"Do you want me to hit you again, Zack?" Cloud skidded to a halt as he came closer to Sector Seven's entrance. "You're ridiculously lewd, I thought it beneath you. Your audacity is astounding." His pale cheeks were tinged with pink, his lips pouting.

"Audacity? Zack? Damn, she's turning you into a little virgin boy, Cloud." Zack reached out to pat Cloud's head. "Come on, you need to get laid before you start praying in the church and planting flowers and shit."

"Well," Cloud stepped out, away from Zack's hands, "it didn't look like she was all that virginal a few nights ago when she snuck into your bed."

Zack's hand dropped. Eventually, he recovered his voice. "Uh, shit. Well." He stumbled over his words. The next question was hesitant, "I don't have to, you know, explain the birds and the bees, right?" He let out a roar, laughing as hard as he could.

Cloud spat on the ground. "No," he grumbled, voice dripping acid, "I don't want or need you, of all people, to explain how sex works. Gaia." He kicked a nearby garbage can, its contents spewing across the floor. "Besides, it doesn't sound like you'll be getting into anyone's pants for a while."

"Okay, don't get so angry. I was just messing with you. Plus," a minute smirk crossed his face, "I wasn't talking about going to a brothel. Damn, you have any idea how gross that is? I am  _not_  putting my junk near one of those girls."

A disgusted look crossed the blond's face. "So how were you planning to get laid then?"

Zack noticed the boy's face lose all its color rapidly. "Well, Cloud, how do you  _think_ I was going to do it? Definitely not alone in a shower." Zack leered as he stepped forward, puckering his lips.

* * *

"I think his nose is broken." Tifa lifted the napkin from Zack's bleeding nose. He swore as her calloused fingers brushed against the bridge. "No, shattered is more like it."

"Shit! That hurts." Zack jerked his head away from her hand.

She glared at him like a mother would a child before grasping his chin firmly with her other hand. She went back to poking, her wine-colored eyes regarding the injury curiously. "And you're saying you fell?" She took her hands away, tutting. "I've been fighting with my hands for years now. Cloud, why did you punch him?"

Zack felt his face grow hot.

Tifa raised an eyebrow, looking affronted. "Oh, please; it wasn't hard to figure out. First of all, if you'd fallen your nose wouldn't have bruised quite as bad and it would have been a clean break. Now  _that_ -" she pointed to his poor nose, "sure as Gaia isn't from a fall."

The raven-haired man glared at Cloud, who was sitting patiently on a nearby bar stool, sipping at his drink. He stirred the liquid in his glass around for a moment, the dark red drink churning with the ice. "Oh, dear Tifa," he glanced up, innocently, "why would  _I_ punch  _him_? I'm kind of insulted that you would believe something like that. The moron walked into a pole." He took another sip from his drink.

Tifa began to nod, but caught herself. "Whoa, whoa, wait- he said that he fell. You said that he walked into a pole." She put her hands on her hips, assessing the situation. " _I_  say that you got punched." Napkins went flying over to the violet-eyed man, who snatched them gratefully out of the air, gently placing them to his nose. He gave a hiss.

Zack flipped his empty hand out, annoyed. "Fine, believe whatever you want, but just fix it already. It hurts and it's still bleeding, in case you haven't noticed." His voice was muffled but still rang with sarcasm.

The woman went behind the bar, her shoulders shaking from laughter. "I can't unless you want your nose to look like a train crashed into it. You need a good healer to fix it." She wiped her fingers on a washrag, cleaning the blood from her fingers.

Zack's eyes widened. "You're kidding me, right?" His voice came slightly slurred. Another blob of drying blood dripped down his throat.

"'Fraid so, Zack."

"Tifa, could you give me something harder," Cloud asked, tapping his glass against the counter.

She shook her head. "I don't think so, Cloud. You look like you're about as smashed as you can get." She took the glass away.

Cloud gave her a look. "I'm not drunk and I'm not slurring, so why don't you give me something a little stronger. It isn't like we're going to be leaving here anytime soon." A bright green bottle was the one he pointed to as he added, "Can you pour me some of that?"

Tifa looked at him wearily, but it was Zack who answered, "That stuff is absinthe, Cloud. Even I wouldn't touch it. I've heard of some of the other First-Class SOLDIERs talk about that shit." He lifted the napkin from his face and asked Tifa for another. "Nasty stuff. Fucks with your brain."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about me, I've drank it before." He gave Tifa a short smile, eyes moving to the bottle and back again. "You should have a little more faith in me."

Reluctantly, Tifa poured him a shot. "You're twenty one. I can't stop you even if I wanted to," she shrugged.

Confused, Cloud looked at the woman. She had turned around to begin cleaning blood from the table.

"Do you know any healers?" Zack asked politely.

Tifa rolled her eyes but nodded. "Of course I do. No terrorist organization could survive without one. I get stuck doing the stuff that she can't. I'll give her a call."

* * *

"Let's talk money," Zack said, sitting down in the wooden chair, putting his feet on the nearby table. "When are you gonna pay me and Cloud for our services?" Feet banged to the ground, punctuating the question.

"I ain't gunna pay you shit til ya do somethin' for me." Barret punched the bag brutally, nearly causing it to fly off its hook. "Was there some reason you came to AVALANCHE, or was it jus' cuz of the money?"

"Look," Zack leaned into the table, which started creaking under his weight, "I couldn't give two shits about you trying to save the planet, killing loads of people as you do it. All I care about is gettin' paid. I'm a mercenary. I don't get attached to the jobs. If that was what you were looking for…" The creaking subsided for a moment as his feet returned to the table, "Well, then you hired the wrong guys," he finished.

Barret nodded once, scratching at his beard in an almost thoughtful gesture. "Where is that chocobo-head anyway?" He looked around for a moment, dark eyes searching for the tuft of bright sunshine yellow.

"Getting wasted upstairs. Tifa told him not to keep drinking, but she keeps pouring. I think Cloud's gotten addicted to absinthe."

Barret laughed raucously. "She's gunna have one helluva drunk on 'er hands," he chuckled, punching the bag again for good measure. "So, was there any SOLDIER's today?"

"Nah. If there was, we wouldn't be standing here, bossman." Zack kicked his shoes off into a corner, stretching his feet. "SOLDIERs aren't weak, and we would've stood no chance against them. Especially you guys," he gestured towards a photo nearby, one that displayed AVALANCHE's members. Looking through the glass frame, Jessie had a small frown marring her face, her fingers seemingly typing as fast as they could move, a trace of her tongue sticking from her mouth. Next to her were Biggs and Wedge, both looking on at a raunchy magazine opened to a spreadsheet with the words "MISS MIDGAR - SEX-TOY FOR THE BIG BOYS" splashed across the top in bold lettering. The larger of the two had a burger clutched in his hand; the other was drooling, though clearly not because of the scent of food. The little child, Marlene, sat on her father's bulbous shoulders in a pretty orange sun-dress, her hair much longer than it was now. Lastly, the robust bartender stood nearby, her eyes glancing at Marlene and Barret. Various other faces, a few distorted because of the quality, stood obscured in the background.

"They take care of themselves jus' fine," Barret ground out without a moment's hesitation.

"Jessie didn't seem so competent earlier. You know, with her panicking as the seconds ticked by. We would've died if I hadn't known the code."

"We all got those momen's. Don' try an' say she ain't no good 'cuz she got scared. You must've got scared sometime when you was some big, bad SOLDIER. No one's perfect."

"Well, sorry to break your bubble, but no, SOLDIER's don't panic. We thrive, we bitch, we survive. Nothing else." Zack stood up, chair scraping against the linoleum floor.

* * *

The room was sparsely lit, the glow of the television and computer screen only aided by the solitary sixty watt bulb above. It left a ghostly impression on the walls, one of bodies barely moving, yet gliding, almost ethereal. Night was one of the most beautiful of times, Zack mused, his glowing eyes focused on the bodies surrounding him. Too late to walk home, too early to catch a train, Zack and Cloud had decided to spend the night with the members of AVALANCHE, sleeping in the main room. Their blankets were entwined with one another, legs and fingers and hair clinging together in the heat caused by the mass breathing. Sweat and drool glistening on the bed sheets, it would have looked to a passer-by that a massive orgy had taken place below the bar.

Zack stared at the various small groups of people. Tifa lay next to Marlene and Barret, the small girl with her fingers entwined in the woman's long brown locks. Jessie had managed to kick both Biggs and Wedge away from her, her arms and legs outstretched. Biggs had taken to sleeping on the floor not too long ago, mumbling a 'hogging bitch' under his breath. The larger Wedge was sucking on his thumb, his head at Barret's feet.

The two ex-Shinra workers were sprawled near each other off to the corner of the room. Zack had leaned up against the wall. Cloud was curled in a small ball beside him.

"Zack?" Cloud slurred, groggily opening one eye. The ball disintegrated and the blond's head slumped against the wall.

Zack rolled his eyes. Warning or no, the boy had gotten completely and totally wasted. He was so far gone it wouldn't have surprised Zack if he was hallucinating. "Yeah, kiddo? Are you seeing some famous singer dancing on your nose yet?"

The boy made a vague, ill sound.

"You aren't gonna to puke on me, right?"

The blond didn't answer immediately. When he did though, it wasn't what the black-haired man had expected. "When talkin' I confused. Tifa sayin' sumthin'."

"Huh? You're speaking drunk, Cloud." Zack made a face, looking down at the boy. Large glowing blue eyes stared up.

Cloud continued to speak as if he had not heard what the older man had said. "She said I'm twen'y-one. 's'not true. 'm sixteen." He stabbed his chest with his thumb. "'m not twen'y-one."

Zack closed his eyes, a sigh escaping from his chapped lips. "Kiddo, uh, she was right. You  _are_  twenty one. C'mere-" he pulled the boy (though technically a man) up, leaning his head against his chest.

"Wha'?" He pushed his ear to Zack's chest, listening to his heartbeat, his eyes drifting shut.

Zack watched the boy slip into sleep, leaving the question unanswered. He was so peaceful when asleep - he looked younger and even more innocent with his eyes closed, hiding the confusion or anger that usually filled them. Bright hair stuck out in several directions, causing the black-haired man to smile.

"I won't tell you until you're ready," Zack said as he rested his head against the blond's. "I won't tell you until I'm ready." He hummed a soothing tune from home, reminding him of fields and forests.

"When I get home, you and me are gonna eat as much as we can fit in our mouths. I'll show you the tree-house I built all on my own. My collections of butterflies and marbles, too. I'll show you the secret hiding place for my first dirty magazine and knives. My ma will like you, like yours liked me. The fire poles are always fun to climb-" Zack yawned tiredly, snuggling closer to sunshine blond hair, falling into a slumber he had not had since his childhood.

* * *

Zack spat. "You're fucking joking me, right?" He threw a glare at the table, a small envelope in front of him, a few crumpled gil inside. "Fifteen hundred gil for saving your asses? And what about Cloud? Five hundred? Puh-lease. I can make more delivering pizzas." Zack picked up his Buster Sword, strapping it to his back. "I'm not going to do another assignment for less than three thousand. Come on, Cloud," his head jerked to the door, "let's go home. I'm not going to deal with this and neither are you."

Cloud dropped his fork, picking up the envelope with his name on it.

"Wait!" Tifa yelled, begging Zack to stop with her eyes. "Please, don't leave." She glanced over to Barret, giving him a meaningful look. "We'll give you two thousand for the next assignment." She gave a quick smile, attempting to reassure the two.

Zack snorted. "You gave Cloud a thousand less. Why?" he asked, looking at Barret.

The big man pounded his fist into the table. "Cuz he didn't do jack shit!" Barret threw his fork across the bar. It clanged heavily into one of the bottles.

"Bullshit! He did almost as much as me!" Zack pulled his Buster Sword out, pointing it at the leader of AVALANCHE.

Cloud jumped up, putting himself between the ex-SOLDER and the terrorist. "Put it away, Zack," Cloud said, his eyes staring dangerously at his friend. "No violence," the blond chanted.

The weapon's tip met the wood floor unceremoniously.

"Heh, 'No violence' pretty much explains why he ain't getting' paid as much as you. Didn't kill not one of those Shinra scum. Not one."

Zack's eyes narrowed. "He doesn't want to shed human blood. Is that such a big fuckin' crime?"

The black man nodded his head. "He ain't cut for it. You lucky I even gave him dat."

"Well then, I see how it is." Zack sheathed his sword and grabbed Cloud by the arm. "Let's get the fuck out of dodge. Just remember," Zack sneered at the black man, "that I still haven't given you the override code. Grab your sword," he told Cloud, ready to leave.

Tifa stomped her steel-toed boot on the ground. "Two thousand each!" she yelled over the men, avoiding several glares.

"That's for Marlene's schoolin'!"

Tifa gave a pleading look. "I'll pay for it myself, then." She looked at the two mercenaries. "Come on, what do ya say? Is that good enough?"

Cloud bit his lip, looking up at Zack, who gave a terse nod. "Yeah, that'll work," was his response.

Cloud closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath.

The woman sighed, relieved. "Oh good. Now, finish your breakfast and get prepared. I'll be coming with you this time." She smiled at the group before walking out from behind the bar, pulling her black apron off as she went. "Barret, I'm going to call Lona to come take care of the shop and Marlene. Is that alright?"

"I don' want you there," Barret said seriously. "Explosions aren't meant for-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Barret Wallace. I'm no child and you can't even use the excuse that I'm a woman since you let Jessie come along." She pulled a pair of leather finger-less gloves from a box, shoving them on her hands.

"She a bomb person though," he responded almost automatically.

Zack took this moment to pipe in. "Quit lying, Barret." Tifa grabbed him by the throat, a sinister look gracing her otherwise pleasant features.

"Would you like me to break your nose again, especially after we had that woman come over here last night and fix it?"

The raven-haired man gave a sweet smile. "Of course I don't, deary." He sat down on a stool next to Cloud and stole a chocobo patty. As he tossed it in his mouth, he mumbled a quick, "Miss cranky-pants," that no one but Cloud heard.

"Are you alright, Cloud?" Tifa walked up behind him, patting the choking blond on the back, trying to free his lungs.

"Aw, chocobo-head'll be fine," Zack smirked, winking at Cloud.

* * *

Train tracks led the train, a compartment full of terrorists, towards the center of Sector Five where their next mission was to take place. The compartment was all but silent, save the quick breaths.

"This is horse shit," Jessie said, breaking the silence. Her eyes were drawn to the model of Midgar. Everyone in the car looked at her, their confusion evident. Jessie sighed. "Looks like they added even more checkpoints after last night. Can't really blame them. If it was me I'd be pretty much doing the same thing." She pulled out several ID's, throwing them to each of the AVALANCHE members. "These," she looked down at her own card, "are the best I could whip up."

Zack stared down at his ID, eyes narrowing as he read the words. "There is no way someone would believe this," he laughed.

Barret looked over at his, which was laying front up near his seat, and nodded his head. "Shit. Mista fuckin' Langston? You make me sound like some prissy ass white boy." Barret threw the card back at the woman, who caught it deftly between her thumb and forefinger.

"You can just make them yourself next time," she huffed, folding her arms across her stomach. "Anyway, that one wasn't for you, if you bothered to look at the picture. It's hard enough to create whole new identities and sometimes the names slightly suck. Here Zack." Jessie threw it to Zack. He caught it and tossed the other one, with the picture of Barret, back to her.

"Much better," he praised, violet eyes scanning the information and picture. His own face smiled back up at him, an old picture from when he had joined Shinra. There, his face was clear of the scar and eyes less mako-bright. "Hey? How did you get that picture?"

The woman looked out the window. "Stole them from a file I found on the Shinra Database. It wasn't easy to dig up," she shook her head at Barret, "and  _his_  was even harder. I had to wait three hours to snap the stupid thing. Should've just called Lona to come take it."

Cloud looked up at the woman. "Lona? She's the girl who fixed Zack's nose." He nodded, answering his own question. "How is she involved with AVALANCHE? She didn't look like any of… well, us." The sentence came out sounding rather lame.

Jessie gave a small knee jerk response, "She's my sister. Used to work for Shinra Medical, but they would have killed her if they knew about me. Anyway, they tried to transfer her out of Midgar to someplace far away and she didn't want that. Quit the next day." Jessie tugged at her bandanna nervously. "She's actually the reason I was able to hack into a lot of the files. Gave me some of the codes and everything."

Zack looked at her questioningly. Since when did Shinra Medical get to go through his paperwork? Maybe there was a breech in the security on their server.

"Good kid, gettin' outta there 'for Shinra scum sucked her dry too!" Barret hollered, making Biggs, who had been asleep, jump up in a panic.

"Gaia, be a little quiet," Biggs murmured under his breath. The only people able to hear were Tifa and Zack, who both laughed a little.

"Wha' you laughin' at, Spiky?" Barret said, looking over to Zack.

Zack put his hand on his head and shrugged. "Why do you call me 'spiky' and Cloud 'chocobo-head'? I mean, seriously, bossman, we've got names." Zack looked around the compartment, watching the scenery outside blur past, the city a barely beating pulse of life with colors darkening.

"You got spiky hair and chocobo-head's got chocobo hair. Makes it damn obvious, if you're askin' me." Barret leaned back, resting his head against the glass. The mako light from the reactor above shone brightly, creating a pallid stream of colors.

"Well-" just as Tifa slapped her gloved hands to her knees, an alarm raced through the entire train, the blaring red colors from the emergency lights flashing from corner to corner. The lights flickered off for a moment and the people in the next car screeched.

"Shit!" Zack yelled, jumping up from his seat, his black hair whipping around. "Get the fuck off the train!"

The others abruptly stood from their seats, pulling out weapons.

Jessie gasped. "No, no, no…!" she whispered, mortified. Her bright eyes stared out vacantly towards the beeping light, the words  _'Intruders Alert. Suspicious characters found. Lockdown in one minute,'_  filling everyone's ears.

"No use sitting there! Come on, we don't wanna be caught!" Zack screamed through the commotion, pushing Cloud into the next compartment. The blond would have stayed rooted to the floor if not for Zack, who needed more than anything at that very moment for the boy to get his ass moving. "Come on!" Zack grasped him by the shoulders, shaking the boy, making the dazed expression flee Cloud's face.

Cold fire erupted from below blond lashes, and the older man resisted the urge to shiver.

* * *

"Let's just jump from moving trains!" Cloud berated Zack, his voice harsh and cold as winter in the slums. "Is there a brain up there, or did you have it addled when you were a puppy, Fair?" Cloud kicked a bottle with his steel-toed boots, sending it flying.

Zack held his arms out, looking forward. "Blame Barret. I wasn't too hot on the idea of taking a leap of faith either. You'll have to wait until I can actually  _find_  them first." It had been fourty minutes since their escape and the two ex-Shinra workers had yet to even glimpse the members of AVALANCHE. At one time Zack had sworn he heard their voices just up ahead, but even as they ran to meet them they were nowhere in sight. His ears playing tricks on him, he assured himself.

Desperation started to set in once fifteen minutes passed. By thirty, the blame game began.

"And quit calling me Fair. It makes you sound like a dickish SOLDIER I used to know. Doesn't suit you at all." Zack dodged the oncoming kick with ease. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his SOLDIER uniform, absently feeling for the wallet that had been stolen on the train as the group escaped.

Cloud looked over then back down at the ground, staring at the train tracks. "You're lucky he gave that back."

The raven-haired man snorted. "Shit, Cloud, I thought you knew me better than that. Of course I knew the sleaze had grabbed it. You get used to getting robbed blind on the train. Assholes pick the worst targets." He closed his eyes, remembering vividly one specific occasion. The man walked on, eyes closed for a while. Cloud contented himself with counting the water puddles.

"Sixty-three," Zack heard Cloud mumble under his breath

_A ghost of a man flew inside of Zack's mind, a smirk on his face and a sword clenched in his pale hand. The sickly veins popped from his hand, giving a bluish tinge to his appearance. A hoodlum dressed in a sweatshirt, his pocketful of stolen goods hanging in the air, had a look of pure, unadulterated fear spread to the corners of his face._

"Sixty-four…"

" _I believe that is mine."_

_Pale lips turned up as he reached his hand inside of the man's jacket, clutching at the stolen wallet. The veined hand brought the hoodlum's face closer. Zack could see small spittle fly from his commanding officer's mouth onto the shaking moron. "Now," his voice dropped an octave, "are you going to be stealing any further merchandise this night?"_

"Sixty-five…"

" _How the hell did you do that?" Zack asked, amazed. The other man's eyebrows had been drawn close in concentration, his hand flipping through the wallet, memorizing the contents. Bright mako eyes looked up, regarding the raven-haired man with cool interest._

"Sixty-six…"

" _Fair, don't be so shocked. It makes you look stupid. The man had dipped his hand into my pocket, retrieving this-" a black wallet was held before Zack's nose. He stared at it, making his eyes go crisscrossed. "-And I made sure to get it back." A sinister smirk crossed the man's face._

_Violet eyes opened a fraction._

_"And either way, I doubt Sephiroth or Angeal wouldn't have done the same."  
_

"Sixty-six," Cloud mumbled, bored.

"You already said that one, chocobo-head." Zack pulled a hand out of his pocket, petting the blond's unruly hair. Cloud jerked in response, the same reaction elicited every time the man did so. "What? You don't like me petting you?" Zack laughed, waving the offending hand in front of the blond.

"No, for your information, I don't. I'm not a dog, you know," the younger man grumbled out, touching his own locks with his hand.

"Well, you know that you'll always be my pet," Zack said, clutching his chest where his heart resided.

* * *

Tifa's voice rose through the railway - "Barret, it's them!" - and both Cloud and Zack, running forward, snapped their heads up to look at her. The brunette grabbed hold of the two in a fierce hug.

"Oh," Tifa exclaimed, joyous, "we were worried you guys had gotten crushed when you jumped out. It was a stupid idea." She let go of the two, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "Anyway, we're glad you got here in time. We waited for as long as we could. Since you're both here now we can get a move on." She straightened out her skirt and looked over at Barret, who took a moment to glare at the two before him, snapping the safety off his gun arm.

"The guys're already in there." Barret jerked his black-stubbled chin to a small, extremely uncomfortable looking hatch. "We gotta follow, set the bomb and get the fuck out. Tifa..." His dark eyes stared at the woman, who was defiantly pulling on her gloves, her fingers moving restlessly. He gave her a reproachful look, "I don'-"

"Barret Wallace, I told you once to stop," she growled, eyes narrowing.

"Righ'," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Tifa turned her back to the group. She began sliding her body into the hatch, though her well endowed chest made the task a little difficult.

"Women are weird," Cloud said.

With a laugh, Zack nodded his head in agreement. "Women. They're the most popular monsters on this planet. Sad to say that they're  _all_  kinda like that." He looked out into nothingness, a short smile on his face.

"You got a woman?"

"Yeah, she's one of a kind, though still kinda acts like that," he indicated Tifa. The raven-haired man looked over his shoulder towards Cloud, whose hand rested on the hilt of his katana. "You ready to slide?"

The blond shook his head. "Ugh, the very idea is making me woozy," he admitted, lowering his hand, subconsciously rubbing a circle against his stomach, trying to sooth himself.

Zack walked towards the hole Tifa had disappeared through and peered down. "Well, it's a short drop at least," he said stiffly, moving out of Barret's way. The bulky man shot off a word of thanks before shoving himself into the small space, his arms crashing into the sides of the thin sheet metal, bending a few of the places out of shape. The tight squeeze made Cloud appear ready to pass out.

"Come on, it isn't too bad." Zack patted his friend's head comfortingly, trying to make light of the situation. The blond took a deep, shaky breath, his throat rattling. "You could've had some reasonable fear, like being afraid of guns or something, and all you're scared of is that silly hatch? Could be a ton worse, you know. Now get!" his tone gentle, Zack patted Cloud on the back once more.

Reassured, Cloud climbed into the hatch, taking one last deep breath before plummeting down. Zack watched Cloud's descent, then glanced at his sore hand. It was marked where the boy's fingers had latched onto him, pale crescent moons indented into the skin. "You're lucky I like you Cloud, 'cos otherwise I would've smacked you," he joked to himself as he climbed into the hatch, his hand held over his heart.

* * *

"It's quiet."

The reactor was silent except for the group's scuffling. Their feet smacked on the tile floor, sounds reverberating from wall to wall.

"Too quie'," Barret added, his eyes tracing the inside of the reactor. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Zack rolled his eyes at the cliché.

"It isn't supposed to be like this," Cloud added, pulling his katana from its sheath, holding it before him, prepared for the hidden, silent enemy.

Jessie pulled a page out from her pocket and stared at it, hoping an answer would sprout miraculously from the black inked words. "Cloud's right. There are supposed to be sixteen guards around in this part alone, and it's been really quiet since we got here. Something's up."

The rest of the team agreed readily.

"Well, we ain't got no otha' shot at this. We stick to the plan an' blow this mothafucka' outta the water. Now! Move out!" Barret fired a few rounds into a nearby set of crates, upside down with their pointed arrows stating ' **This Way Up** ' pointing towards the ground. Tinkering glass sounded through the quiet reactor and green liquid, putrid and decaying spilled from the holes in the boxes.

"That reeks," Tifa gagged into her gloved hand. Zack and Cloud wrinkled their noses in distaste; the smell of pure, unadulterated mako was even worse than the pollution which clung to the city.

"Pure mako," Zack said, shivering in memory, "To get into SOLDIER the candidates are pumped with that. Side effects of it weren't all too pleasant either."

Cloud, who stood next to him, began to involuntarily scratch at the vein in his left arm. Zack's own fingers itched in remembrance, but resisted the urge to likewise attack his arm.

Barret walked closer to the box then delivered a kick to it. The box smashed into the wall with almighty force, shattering to minuscule pieces. More glass and green, bubbling liquid sprayed the metal.

"It's the Planet's lifeblood." Barret knelt down, his fingers lightly touching the green liquid.

"Don't!" Zack yelled, running forward to grab the large man's shoulders. He reeled back when he was pushed away, wiping his mako-stained fingers on his pants.

"Why not?" Barret roared, standing up, his eyes piercing into Zack's violet, mako-induced glowing eyes.

The ex-SOLDIER looked between the green liquid littering the floor and the black man before him. "It's fucking poisonous to normal humans, especially if it gets into open wounds. The only reason why SOLDIER's are able to handle that shit," he pointed to the deadly puddles, which had begun to sizzle through the floor, "is because we started getting transfusions from the beginning, of diluted mako. You see what it does?"

"That ain't right," Barret muttered, staring at the pools in fascination, "they makin' killin' machines with that shit runnin' through their veins."

"Zack, we should go." Cloud shook the raven-haired man's shoulder, pulling him away from the sight of the mako burning holes into the surface. He had a small, pained look on his face, his eyes darting nervously from the puddle to the door. Thick, rope-like scratches circled the veins on his arm.

Tifa nodded her head kindly toward the center of the Reactor, "Yes, we need to set the bomb. Barret, come on. We still have a lot of work and that's not counting whatever Shinra's got up their sleeves."

* * *

The bomb was set in place without a hitch, something which calmed the nerves of all those present. No exploding red scorpion monsters, no stuck bomb, no jammed door. It was a beautiful thing where no fear was shown and the remote detonator was in Jessie's hands, ready to be pushed.

"Let's go," Zack said as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. The three people next to him nodded. They walked away from the bomb and danger, moving at a quick, constant pace. The Mako Reactor was as silent as it had been from their entrance. It seemed nothing had been discovered yet.

So, when the monster began its attack upon the four, each was surprised for that one critical moment.

"What the hell!" Cloud yelled, ripping his katana from its sheath. "What is it?"

"It's my new toy," a voice boomed from the side. Turning to the sound, Zack took in the sight of the speaker, a man in a red suit who stood smirking, hands clasped firmly before him. "I thought you would all rather enjoy the company. When the train security informed me two of the Professor's  _favorite_  people were with that terrorist riff-raff, I was sure to guarantee a different ending for all the funding Shinra put in." The man thoughtfully placed one pudgy hand on his face, concentrating.

"If it ain't the scum o' the Planet himself!" Barret roared, pointing his gun-arm at the Shinra President.

"Ah, you're that terrorist organization, correct? Volcano or Earthquake, perhaps? Ah, no matter-"

"AVALANCHE! And don' you forget it! We're gonna wipe your dirty ass face 'gainst the floor!" Barret attempted to jump forward but the robot moved swiftly to intercept, preventing the leader from getting any closer.

The President smirked. "It's been programmed to kill anything but you two-" he sent a sinister smile at Cloud and Zack, making the blond back away towards to railing. "You will be going back where you belong. Now, I have a rather important business dinner to attend so I leave you with a goodbye. I hope the information Air Buster extracts from your dead corpses will be sufficient enough for a few tests." He sent a particularly nasty look towards Zack and Cloud, adding, "I would hate having to collect other samples."

The President turned and boarded his waiting helicopter. Zack stared in horror, his eyes and Cloud's both unable to grasp the President's words.

"Zack, what's going on?" Cloud asked, his voice barely audible over the sound of whirring fans and the monster's beeping.

* * *

After fifteen minutes of brutal fighting, with blood covering the floor and potion bottles scattered the mechanical beast launched its final attack. Zack shoved his Buster Sword deep within the electrical insides, trying to stop it. Pushed beyond its limits, the monster shuddered and exploded. With a loud  _boom!_ , a large hole appeared in the bottom of the walkway.

Zack was unable to retract his sword in time. Unceremoniously, he was thrown into the pit, his sword in one hand, the other grasping nimbly at the swiftly-heating metal.

"Dammit! Get the hell out of here!" Zack struggled, fingers unable to find a purchase on the ledge.

Cloud grasped for his hand but they were too far away. "No!" he yelled, sliding onto his stomach, hand outreached, straining. "You can grab on. Don't do this!" His voice was escalated with panic, "Don't go, please, don't go! Zack!"

Barret grabbed the blond's shoulders, looking down at the dangling man.

Zack gave a small smirk, fingers losing their grip. "Hey, I ain't about to die. You owe me two thousand gil. Just get outta here already! I'll be fine."

Cloud reached out a last time, yelling "Don't you dare!"

As his hand slipped a little further, Zack nodded shakily. He looked up as he fell, and his violet eyes met Cloud's bright mako blue eyes in promise.

He would never break a promise to Cloud. Never.


	5. Second Time

# Chapter Four: Second Time

' **Do you remember?'** _a voice whispered into Zack's ear._

_Hojo stood over his body; the purple and blue bruises adorned his throat like a queen would wear her jewels, choking with pride, head held high. There was no pain, none since the drugs had taken effect. The greasy-haired man above him was holding out a bloody scalpel._

" _It wouldn't be useful for you to die on my table, Specimen 'Z'. Your value still multiplies by the day, especially if your test results show a change in cellular structure." Hojo placed the scalpel down, a tight sneer spread across his ghoulish, monstrous face. Each syllable was announced with precise care, not too different from the lines gracing Zack's body: insertion points for tubes, sticks of solidified 'S' and 'A' cells, shards of materia, and whatever else graced the monster's mind._

" _You are quite the lucky boy, I promise you that. Lucky that you serve a purpose, unlike the failed experiment 'C'._ _ **He**_ _will be tested without the special medication you are receiving. A mouse, while you are the dog." The sound of shattering glass erupted behind him, and his greasy ponytail whipped across as his head jerked to the side. "Be gentle, you moron! Those are expensive materials you are dealing with! Don't break anything!"_

" **Not that."** _The words were feeble, searching._

" _Sephiroth, why do you treat me like a child? I'm a SOLDIER First-Class, just like you!" Zack shouted. His violet, mako-enhanced eyes stared at the General before him, his foot readying to smash against the ground in anger._

" _Fair," silver eyes looked up from the paper they had been trailing, nothing within their depths, "are you in a suicidal mood today? I can retrieve Masamune from my apartment, if it pleases you. I suggest you go away and return when your head is on straight."_

" **Nope."** _Zack could almost feel the detached body's head move, shaking 'no'_ **.**

" _Come on, I want you to come meet Mom." Cloud gripped the man's shoulders, moving him quickly out of the inn and down the main street, passing several people who began pointing their fingers in wonderment. "I told her we'd be over as soon as we got situated. She's planning a big dinner on Saturday, though I don't think she'll have a problem making us grilled cheese and chocobo sandwiches. She used to when I was little, anyway."_

" **Boy, you're bad at this."**

_Fingers touched, experimenting. Lips, harsh and cold, clattered together, a mouthful of blood and saliva left in its wake. Scratch marks down his back, gouged into the honey skin. Deep, throaty moans shivered through the entire room._

" **I guess you'll need a bit more time. Now, wake up."**

* * *

"Zack!" Aeris shook him gently, her fingers clutching the top of his uniform. There was a tickle of breath near his hairline and Zack wondered why his head hurt so much. Why was Aeris there? He was with Cloud just a minute ago, hadn't he?

"Huh?" Zack whispered shakily, his head giving an awful thud in return. She placed a soft kiss on his brow, making him open his eyes.

The shattered wood surrounding him did not take from the splendor of the place. Flowers grew brazenly here. Pinks and whites splattered the soft grass, a few purples and yellows tucked into the rubble of the broken ceiling. A blood red tulip lay alone near his feet and Zack shut his eyes against the brilliance of the colors. It was too bright. Again, his head throbbed wickedly.

"Here," Aeris whispered, putting her palms against his forehead. A blast of warmth spread through his skull and down his body, soothing the aches and pain into small throbs. "You know, that's the second time you've fallen through this church. I think this is becoming routine." She gave a sheepish smile, patting her hands on her pink dress.

"Well, can you blame me? I mean, I get nursed back to health by you. Who wouldn't hurt themselves for that?"

The air in the church changed slightly and Aeris gave a chuckle, "Zack Fair, what am I going to do with you, hmm? You, falling down through my church and ruining all the flowers-"

Zack silenced her with a finger as he leaned up a little. "You aren't happy I survived? This roof broke my fall. Twice, as a matter of fact. I'd like to personally thank it now." He rolled over, out of the woman's grasp, resting belly down on the grass, fingers digging into the soft earth. He began scratching letters into the soil. Looking accomplished, Zack read out, "'Oh grassy roof top, thank you for saving me from an unfortunate and untimely death. Sincerely, Zack.'"

Aeris laughed. "Zack, you always had a way with apologies," she whispered, brushing some nonexistent dirt from her lap as she stood. "Either way, you were unconscious for about an hour. I couldn't wake you, and my materia was unresponsive towards you." She knelt down, picking up a few roses near her overturned basket.

"An hour, you say?" The ex-SOLDIER flipped himself up, sure to avoid any of the flowers. The red tulip swayed in the artificial breeze – there was never any wind in the slums.

The woman nodded, then glanced towards the door instinctively. A startled gasp rose through her throat, and she dropped her basket of flowers again. "Turks," she whispered, face going pale.

Zack rested his hand on the Buster sword and moved forward, putting himself between the woman and the Turk.

It was Reno.

Zack hadn't even needed to look at his face or that shock of red hair; the mere presence he exuded was enough. Cold, professional and stoic wasn't Reno's type of thing. Not the  _real_  Reno, anyway.

"Aw, ya hurt me." The red-head slapped one hand to his chest, a pained look crossing his face. "I mean, after all I did, ya still ain't trustin' me yet?" Reno gave a solitary laugh, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his dirty suit pocket. His bright emerald eyes scanned the pews, searching. "Hey, where's the cute blond? Ya know, the one who was all comatose an' shit?" He made a hand flourish meant to indicate the blond's height, "'Bout this tall, with some fucked up shit for hair. You know the kid, righ'?"

"I don't know," Zack said, worry suddenly leaking into his words.

One elegant red eyebrow raised. Reno threw the raven-haired man an agitated look. "Shit. You've gotta be kiddin' me. Went all out of my fuckin' way to save your country bumpkin ass, the kid's too, and you lose him? Shit."

"Well, aren't you tactless," Aeris huffed, grabbing Zack's arm in a feeble attempt to hide herself from the glaring emerald eyes.

Reno pulled out a match, striking it against some nearby wood. The smell of burning sulfur wafted around the room. He lifted the match to his cigarette, lighting the end. "Well, alright then, sis." The voice was so nonchalant, so cool, yet the fire burning in his emerald depths told another story.

"What do you want?" Zack said, taking a step backward for every step the Turk made in approach.

"There's a way out in the back," Aeris mumbled under her breath, too quiet for the Turk to hear. Zack jerked his head in acceptance of the plan.

The red-head stood, staring at the pair for a moment before removing the cigarette from its place at his lips. "Well, I wanna get fucked, get drunk, and get paid. But seein' as you ain't about to help with the first two anymore, I'll just get my job done. Getting paid sounds like a plan, doesn't it?" He clapped his hands, smiling sarcastically. "Well, it's good to know we're all on the same page. Now, if you, sis, will just scoot your ass over here we can get movin'."

Zack felt Aeris push her sweating hand into his own, her limb shaking. "She isn't going anywhere with you," Zack snarled.

Again the eyebrow rose. "Well, I didn't wanna do this," Reno threw the cigarette on the floor, crushing it with the heel of his unpolished shoe, "but you ain't givin' me much to work with. So," he snapped fingers and a swarm of Shinra grunts ran in, their weapons pointed at the two figures, "it looks like we're gunna have ta do this the hard way."

A small sneer crossed Zack's face. "Oh, please. You and your little army are going to attack the big, bad fucking ex-SOLDIER?" Zack let go of Aeris, making a discreet motion with his hand indicating she should sneak out back. Violet eyes traced the ground, looking for where his Buster Sword had dropped when he fell through the roof. It was lodged between a set of rotting pews. As soon as Aeris took off running, Zack leapt forward, jumping over several pews, avoiding the sudden rain of bullets.

"Don't let the Ancient get away!" Reno pointed towards a set of troops. "You! Get going!" he spat, pulling out his elecro-magnetic rod and switching it to the lowest setting.

Zack ripped his sword from its wooden prison, back-flipping from air to the ground to avoid several charging grunts. With a quick slash of his sword blood spilled to the ground. One grunt was left lying in a puddle of his body fluid.

"Reno! Call them off!" Zack yelled, using his weapon to shield from an array of bullets. The lead bounced off, reflecting back to their respective weapons.

"An' why would I do that?" Reno retorted, swinging his EMR wildly, sending sparks flying. The metal smashed into the Buster Sword. Zack felt a surge of electricity jolt through his fingers, rattling his teeth.

"Fine!" Zack swung his weapon over his head, shredding the enemy behind him in half. Warm blood oozed down his back.

Reno spared the display a reproachful look before lowering his weapon. "Y'know, why don' we just talk this out," the red-head teased, jutting out one of his shoulders, an infantile smirk spread across his face.

"Bullshit."

The Turk laughed. "Tsk, tsk, Zacky. I remember teaching you about remembering where to leave your precious cargo." A smug smile crossed his face, his eyes looking beyond Zack.

The ex-SOLDIER lowered his weapon, glancing back. A small group of grunts held Aeris in a tight grip, her green eyes filled with fear. She was trembling but her head was held high, avoiding the jests from the men who held her captive. The group of grunts didn't see her pull out a small green ball but Zack did.

He was almost positive Reno saw too.

* * *

Zack and Aeris sat on the roof, listening to the group below. Reno was sitting in the center of the flowers, staring up through the hole in the roof. Zack watched his emerald eyes tracing over the shadows Aeris and he created more than once.

"You're lucky he didn't kill all of you," Reno said. He grabbed a few blades of grass, putting them thoughtfully into his mouth.

"He couldn't have killed us, Boss," one grunt sneered through his visor, "He's just-"

The Turk sighed and spit out the grass. "An ex-SOLDIER hell-bent on destroying Shinra from the inside out. Yeah, moron, he wasn't going to kill us. Well, not me, anyway. After all, aren't there a few freshly dug graves waiting for your pals?" Reno went to his knees and began searching for something.

"Well... that girl would've killed you too. You see that fireball she sent at us? I thought we were all gonna toast like freaking marshmallows."

"We should get out of here," Zack whispered after a moment, directing his head towards Sector Five. As Aeris nodded her head, out of the corner of Zack's eye he caught emerald green eyes staring back at him, a blood-red tulip clutched in his hand.

* * *

Elmyra glared at Zack.

"He could have gotten you killed!" she yelled, banging her fist on the table in frustration. Normally, she was a happy woman... Not with Zack, though. Couldn't even blame her.

"Mom, he protected me," Aeris stated, calmly covering her mother's hand with her own.

The woman took in a deep, choke of a breath. She nodded reluctantly. "Where's that boy?" she jerked her head towards Zack, indicating he should talk.

"I… I don't know. I fell from the Sector Five Mako Reactor-"

Elmyra cut in at that moment.  _"You_  blew up that reactor!" The woman stood, throwing the wooden furniture back. She pointed one quivering finger at the door, vein in her neck bulging. "Out, out, out!" she screamed.

"Mother, he didn't do anything wrong!" Aeris pleaded, standing, throwing her arms around her mother's neck. "Calm down."

"Get out!"

"Yes, ma'am," he whispered, tucking his chair in before going upstairs to collect the few belongings he and Cloud owned.

Aeris followed him not too long after, her eyes blurred with tears. "I'm going with you," she whispered, grabbing a small bag from her drawer and throwing a few things in. "It won't take that long to get some money together and find Cloud." She nodded her head in a decisive manner.

"Aeris, that isn't you. Just stay here. I'm gonna go find Cloud." He tossed the small bag over his shoulder, across from the Buster Sword. "Wasn't like I was planning on staying here much longer. Your ma's wanted me out and I can't say I blame her. Being a mercenary's tough."

He leaned forward and kissed the woman's tear-stained cheek quickly before leaving without another word.

* * *

Zack was almost to Sector Six when he noticed Aeris trailing behind, her rod strapped to her back and a small smile on her face. When questioned, Aeris answered simply, "I told you that you couldn't leave me here, alone," her eyes brightening.

The ex-SOLDIER resisted the urge to growl in frustration. The flower girl was so naïve at times... "It's dangerous," Zack warned, gesturing towards the group of dead monsters shed across the front of the road, "You could get hurt, and I don't want that."

The smile stayed in place. "Zack, I can take care of myself. See?" She pulled off her rod, brandishing it in front of her, "I can fight. Plus, I'm good with materia!" Aeris reminded him of the group of torched grunts at the church.

"You were able to fry a couple of grunts, but does that mean you're a warrior?" Zack shook his head. "I'm not going to stop you, but I'm going back to AVALANCHE. They owe me a good two thousand gil and I know they've got more work." He resisted the urge to frown; would he get aid for his work on the mission, or did falling drop him to zero?

"Well then, so will I." Aeris pulled out a restore materia, running it through her hands. A sudden gentle warmth cascaded down Zack's shoulder where a small animal bite had ripped through his tough layer of clothes. She pushed the orb back into its slot on her rod with a small smile that reminded Zack of the cat who got the cream.

Zack nodded tightly. "Well, we'll see." He looked down the road through the final bramble of debris. "I see that old play ground. Come on, let's go just a little further."

The two walked in comfortable silence, Zack striking down the three enemies they crossed. The park was deserted, as the ex-SOLDIER expected. The small amount of light made the cracks in the equipment glow and the graffiti created a grotesque canvas. Why would they destroy the only playground for miles?

"Come on!" Aeris yelled joyfully, running forward, a giggle escaping her lips. Zack shook his head and followed, less enthusiastic, as the woman climbed up an oddly shaped slide.

"You know, these Sectors once had names. Beautiful names too," Aeris said as Zack climbed up, sitting himself close to the woman. "Sector Five was named Velina. Pretty, isn't it?" Aeris said wistfully.

"Yeah, that's nice," Zack stated, looking over at an old battered sign displaying the words 'Sector Six'. "What were Six and Seven called?"

Aeris rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well, Sector Six was named Malaka and Sector Seven was Seraphina. They're all pretty interesting. Most came from other places. The others were Wehdin, Ibata, Orios, Resilia, and Jaligh... I think."

Zack whistled low. "And how do you remember those things?"

Aeris gave a short laugh and pushed her arm playfully into Zack's. "I just have a good memory, that's all." She played with the pink bow in her hair, the small white materia glowing dully in her long brown tresses.

Entranced, Zack couldn't help but ask, "What's that?" Carefully, he lifted his hand to touch the small materia. It felt warm, he noticed.

"Just something my mother gave to me long ago…" She touched it with her own finger. "You don't remember that I told you all about it?"

Zack shrugged. "Can't say that I do. Wanna tell it to me again?"

Aeris looked down, putting both hands in her lap, folded together. "My mother gave it to me, before she returned to the Planet," Aeris whispered, "I don't think it does anything. I tried to make it work but nothing happened. It's useless but it reminds me of her face." Aeris looked up, her green eyes emotional. "I still hear her sometimes."

"You hear her in your dreams?" Zack questioned, confused.  _The voices that talk to me are completely and totally caused by my imagination,_  he thought, running one of his hands through his raven colored spikes. He knew a little about Aeris's past, whatever he could glean from their meetings, but she only touched the bare surface...

"No..." Aeris shook her head. "I hear her crying with the Planet. You've never heard the Planet scream?"

Zack messed his eyes up in confusion. "The Planet screams? Is it like a baby or something?"

Aeris shook her head again. "No, it screams. The Planet's dying and it knows. It's being killed slowly and I don't know if I can fix it."

"But why would you have to worry?" Zack questioned.

"I'm supposed to take care of it. I'm the only one who really can."

* * *

It was pure luck, really, how Zack and Aeris had walked through the main walkway to Sector Six's Wall Market to waltz upon a panicked Cloud. Aeris yelled his name, throwing her hands around the startled blond who stood there for a moment, large blue eyes popping out, staring out at Zack in wonder. Aeris let go when she noticed the boy's eyes drawn to Zack.

"I thought you died!" Cloud yelled, hugging the larger man around the waist.

Zack smirked, rubbing the kid's blond hair in a noogie. "Me? Die? Haha, Cloud. SOLDIERs don't die by taking a little fall into a flowerbed. I told you there was absolutely nothing to worry about." He chuckled again. "How did you get here anyway? I thought you would've stayed with AVALANCHE and all. Tifa wouldn't let you go that easy, would she?"

Cloud let go of the older man, shaking his head 'no'. The panic returned to his eyes. "I've been trying to find her for hours. When we got back she told me to go into Sector Six with her because there's this guy named Corneo," Aeris took a deep breath in at the sound of the word, "who had information. Some big honcho or something.

"She was carried off about three hours ago by a group of men that said they wanted their boss to see the new girl in town. I've been talking around, and all the people have been pointing over there," Cloud pointed down the road, "which is where this guy lives." The blond took a breath, searching Zack's face for an answer or a clue.

Zack looked where Cloud had indicated and closed his eyes. Corneo, the man with a thousand women, twenty guns and a fair bit of information... had Tifa.

Tifa was a woman.

"This isn't good..." Zack started, "I think we need to go help Tifa."

"Of course we're going to save this woman!" Aeris whispered frantically. "I've heard about what this man does for fun. I couldn't bear the thought of letting someone like  _that_  do that to someone who seems so nice!"

"Well, how 'bout you, Cloud? I don't even really need an answer from you." Zack looked around, biting his lip. "We need to get into Corneo's and he only lets women in." He pondered his words in his mind, rolling them over his tongue.

Aeris bent her head down, a small giggle erupting from her pink lips.

"What is it?" Cloud asked the woman, his mako blue eyes confused.

"I think she has an idea," Zack stated, grinding his teeth together. "We aren't going to like it very much, I take it?" Aeris put one hand over her lips shaking her head no. "Does this have anything to do with what I think you're thinking?"

"That's kinda vague," Aeris laughed, pointing over towards a dress shop, "but I really do think we are on the same page. Right, Miss Cloudy?"

The blond's mouth opened, shut and opened again.

"No."

"Yes."

"No, Zack."

"Yes, Miss Cloudy."

* * *

The dressmaker was completely wasted.

The sole thing his blue orbs seemed able to focus on was the drink, the haze of alcohol making him sway back and forth on his swiveling seat. Six shot glasses and three empty beer bottles stood like chess pieces on the counter. The man was playing with them as if they were his favorite toys, his giggling beckoning the three closer.

"Excuse me; are you the father of the girl at the dress shop?" Zack asked after he had drawn the man away from his glass toys.

"You ain't my daughter," the man mumbled. He pointed at Zack, a wishy-washy and weak gesture, "You've got a penis anyhow."

Aeris lifted her hand to her mouth. "Sir, we need some dresses," she began, using her sing-song voice.

"I ain't makin' any more dresses. Boring." He lifted a half-empty shot glass to his lips and snapped his head back, the burgundy liquid disappearing down his throat.

"Well," Cloud clapped his hands together decisively, "looks like we're out of luck!" He headed off to the door but Zack grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. "W-what? He said he wasn't interested so I'm going now. We can just bust on in there."

"No," Aeris crossed her arms in a scolding manner, "we are making you into a girl no matter what you say. Don't fight."

The drunken dressmaker looked up. "Youz makin' the boy into a girl?" He pounded his hand onto the counter and obediently, the bartender returned with a bottle of strong whiskey. After downing another shot, he looked up, eyes blazing. "That's weird. I'll do it."

Cloud's face twitched.

The dressmaker stood, slapping a twenty-gil note on the table. "In two hours I'll have a dress waiting for you. I have juz the idea. Come by in fifteen for measurements." He walked out of the bar, swaying.

Cloud sucked in a breath between his teeth.

"Don't cry, it isn't that bad," before letting go of the blond's shirt.

The boy didn't even attempt to move from his spot. Rooted to the floor, his eyes darted to several different places. "First off, not crying. I'm  _pissed off._  Not upset. And second, you'll never tell anyone," Cloud said after a moment, running his tongue over his teeth. They looked extraordinarily sharp in the dim lighting of the bar.

"Of course not!" Aeris replied, smiling brightly. "If it's any consolation, I think you'll be a hot woman." She moved to gently put her small hand on his shoulder. "Zack won't say anything either, right, Zack?" Her fingers clenched down on his should and he winced. Damn woman and her damned fingersnails.

He nodded his head. "Not a word, SOLDIER honor and all that. Do we need to spit in one another's hands and shake? Because really, eww. Rather kiss ya than have your spit in my hand."

Cloud took another deep breath before nodding. "SOLDIER honor... I haven't heard that in so long." Cloud sounded almost wistful before nodding. "As long as no one ever finds out, fine."

"Don't worry. No one'll hear about your cross-dressing adventures, I promise." And before Cloud could even respond, Zack grabbed Cloud's face by the cheeks and plopped a kiss on his mouth.

* * *

"So, he's hit you before?" Aeris asked playfully, holding Zack's head with one of her hands, the other glowing with green restore materia. The two sat at the bar, Cloud some distance from the others, his hands stuffed in his pocket. A smug look was sprawled across his face and Zack scowled at the floor.

"Yesh," Zack mumbled before sneezing, sending blood everywhere. He whimpered in pain. Thankfully, both the blood and the pain disappeared in a flash of green light and a quick swipe of a napkin.

"Well, you shouldn't do that, then. I wouldn't want you putting those lips on me like that," the woman scolded.

Zack looked over to Cloud, who snickered. "You aren't mad at me, right, princess?" he asked the blond, wondering how terrible his appearance had to be if it made Cloud look that amused.

Cloud's snickering ceased immediately. "I'm not your fucking princess," he asserted, pounding his hand against the counter, muscles constricting beneath his skin in barely restrained anger. "Don't do that again. Perv," he added as an afterthought.

"Ouch," Zack said, wiping a bit of blood from his cheek, "At least you didn't shatter it this time. Anyway, you got what you wanted: Won't tell a soul. We swapped spit, see?"

The blond pointedly ignored this comment and stood. "If we're gunna do this, we should do it now. This Corneo guy isn't going to wait long. I want to get this over with." His tone left no room for argument. Zack found himself admiring the kid's determination- his eyes were on fire.

Aeris nodded her agreement, pushing the restore materia into her bangle. "You're right. We should get moving, get you your dress, a wig, and other things to make you prettier…" She was having too much fun with this.

"Well," Zack announced suddenly, looking over to the bathroom. A man stood nearby, waddling painfully. "Before we get started, I need to go. Be right back," he said as he stood from his chair and moved towards relief.

The man waiting outside's face was contorted painfully. Zack could almost see piss in his eyes. "The bathroom occupied?" Zack questioned, glancing at the shut door.

The man nodded quickly. "I need to pee, so bad!" He crossed his legs, teeth chattering. "She's been in there for an hour."

Zack looked back to the door. He approached it cautiously and rapped his fingers against it. "Go away!" the woman yelled. The sound of vomiting came through the door. It was quiet for a moment before the woman began yelling again, "I need medicine! Please, go get me medicine!"

Zack shuffled his foot. "Alright, as long as you get out of there! That's the only bathroom I can use." He looked at the struggling man and said, "She needs medicine. Know where I could get some?"

He bit his lip, nodding, "You can get a coupon for meds at the eatery not too far away. They serve junky food."

Zack sighed and muttered to himself, "Yeah, yeah. Go get some lady some fucking meds so I can piss. Wonderful." Resignedly, he made to leave the bar.

"Where are you going?" Aeris yelled.

"Get some fucking medicine," was his answer.

* * *

He headed towards the nearby eatery (windows cakes brown and a sign in the from of the dingy store as having "The best burgers in town," despite the 't' and 'e' flickering off.) He'd never been in the place before, but he knew slum diners-you have a better chance of catching hepatitis then get a good meal. Zack tossed himself in the next-to-last seat and looked up at the cook.

"I need a coupon." Zack tossed down a twenty-gil note.

The cook glared at the money for a moment before saying, "You gotta buy sumthin'," before pushing the money back.

"I want a fucking coupon now. I don't have time to be fucking around." Zack pushed the gil back, glaring at the cook. There was no way he could miss the glow of his eyes.

The man's eyes widened in recognition. He pulled out a small coupon from his blood-splattered apron and handed it to Zack, mumbling a quick, "Don't want no trouble." He didn't even take the money.

"Are you gonna take it or what?" Zack waved the note in front of the other's face. One grubby hand meekly took the money. Zack rolled his eyes. "Now, can you tell me where in Gaia I can get some digestive?" he asked.

* * *

"You're back!" Despite the cheery words, Aeris had her hands on her hips, a glare shooting from her green eyes. "We can't have you running errands, we're busy."

Zack waved his hand in understanding. "But before we do that I need to... er, go." Using foul language seemed so weird in front of Aeris.

Aeris cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms, but said nothing.

He strolled to the bathroom, knocking on the wood twice. "Lady, I've got you some medi-" the door shot open and a hand stretched out for the bottle.

"Give it here!" she yelled. Zack shook his shoulders and handed the bottle of Digestive over. The door slammed shut. The sound of gurgling soon filled the air.

It took a few minutes for the medicine to take action but when the door opened the man who had been doing the pee-pee dance ran past the two and slammed the door. The woman fixed her shirt before handing over a bottle of perfume. "It isn't much, but it was a pain in the ass to get. Real expensive stuff." She ran her hand through her short blonde hair. "I work up there," she pointed her finger up and Zack thought immediately of the plate, the multi-billion dollar headquarter in the sky, "and my boss gave it to me. He's an ass, but if I'm nice enough maybe I'll get promoted."

Zack opened it. "This stuff reeks," he coughed, waving his hand in front of his nose in distaste.

"Well, most people love it. Hope it helps." She shrugged and walked off.

"' _Most people love it_.'" Zack whispered, a smile crossing his face.

* * *

"We need some more stuff."

Zack stood in the walkway of the dress shop, staring at Cloud. His hair was pinned up in preparation for a wig and he had taken to pacing the store racks. The dressmaker arrived five minutes before to take Cloud's measurements, mumbling about silk. After taking a look at Zack he tossed the red for a lavender silk.

"A dress and wig isn't enough?" Cloud sighed, rubbing the heel of his brown boot into the wooden ground.

Zack shook his head. "We've got perfume and a dress, and Aeris just went to that gym up the road for your wig. You've got to be hot. Well, hotter than usual, to win this. If you  _do_  win you'll be able to slip a few questions in, which means we can dig up some dirt on Shinra." The raven-haired man rubbed his chin with his palm, looking around for inspiration.

"Hey!" he yelled suddenly, startling woman going through a rack of pink dresses. She looked up, confused. "What would we need to make him look like a girl?" Zack asked, gesturing to Cloud.

The woman stopped regarding the dress in her hands and instead looked over at Cloud with fascination. "Well," she stared at the blond, circling around him like a hunter would its prey, "how girly do you need to make him?"

"Very girly," Zack countered.

The woman nodded thoughtfully. "Well, he has an androgynous face. Makeup would soften up his jaw-line. A wig…" she leaned forward, tugging on one of Cloud's ears, "pierce the other ear and put some crystal earrings in. Then you need underwear, pantyhose, shoes and I'd suggest you put something in his hair. A flower maybe? Tiara?" The woman let go, tilting her head down to his feet. "What size are you?"

Cloud looked around for a moment, searching for an answer before finally shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, you should get stilettos, but make sure they're close-toed. Clean your fingernails up too," she finished, picking up her dress and walking off to the cash register.

"…That was really weird," Cloud whispered, looking at the woman's back as she paid for her purchases and left.

"I gotta agree with you, Cloud. Not everyone in the slums has their head on tight enough. Granted, we're ones to talk."

The bell above the door jingled as the woman walked out and Aeris entered, holding a platinum blonde wig. "I didn't know... so many cross-dressers," Aeris uttered, green eyes wide, staring off into space. "They gave this to me...they said I was the best they've ever seen."

"Best what?" Cloud asked, looking from the wig to Aeris's stunned face.

"Cross-dresser," she answered.

Zack laughed, banging his hand against his thigh in amusement.

Aeris huffed in embarrassment, a bright shade of tomato red suffusing her cheeks. "Well, anyway…." She ignored Zack and turned to Cloud, annunciating each syllable on his behalf, "Have you figured out what else we need?"

Cloud nodded his head and Aeris smiled.

"Oh good, we can get to shopping then." Her voice dropped. "I took a second to talk to the man standing in front of the Corneo Mansion-"

Zack cut her off with a curse word. "Are you insane? Suicidal?" His voice rose. Aeris had to elbow him lightly in the stomach to silence him. "It's  _dangerous_ there," he hissed. "They could've kidnapped you and we wouldn't've known for how long?"

The woman shook her head, sending her long brown braid swinging. "It doesn't matter. He takes three girls every night. I told him not to take anyone else. There were two spots open so I told him we'd be there in a few hours or so. He thought I was cute," she added sneakily.

The raven-haired man rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'm sorry I laughed about them calling you a transvestite, alright? Can we just make sure that everything goes according to the plan I've set up? Cloud has to win."

"Why can't I win?" Aeris asked, all humor gone. Her lips drew into a small pout.

"Because we need Cloud to get some answers," Zack replied. "If he wins he can subtly get information and I just don't feel comfortable with you getting it, Aeris." The brunette opened her mouth to protest, but Zack shot her a sidelong look. "Cloud can do this. He's better than anyone else out there. Have a little faith, toots." He grabbed Aeris's hand and looked at Cloud, "I trust you, kiddo."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I've got to win, right? Well, I'm not kissing his ugly ass. If anything goes wrong and I scream, you come and get me out of there, got it?" The boy bit his lip uncertainly, looking over Zack's head towards the clock. "We've got an hour and a half to gather up all of this crap, so I suggest we mosey."

"Mosey? Cloud, that really,  _really_  blows," Zack snickered.

The blond pointedly ignored him once more.

"Considering I got that from  _you,_ it sure is saying something."

* * *

Time passed in a swirl of bright colors. A prostitute down the block had sold Zack a pair of purple stilettos. The earrings and a tiara were found in the materia store, where Aeris had been pointed for accessories. The man had turned around on his plush purple cushion, his blue painted fingers pulled out the two boxes. "I wouldn't do this for anyone else, y'know," he had mumbled under his breath, tossing the two containers into Zack's waiting hands. "Big Bro gave me a call not too long ago, telling me that we had another conformer. Thought they had potential, some skill, you see."

Zack did not  _see_  what the man had meant. He just took the words and the boxes, nodding his head in thanks.

Next was a trip to a local pharmacy. In a small plastic bag there was a pair of white stockings and, to Cloud's very vocal disgust, a self-adhesive bra. There was also another bag, but Zack hid that behind his back, a small smirk across his face.

They took refuge in a cheap, by-the-hour hotel near the entrance of Wall Market. The dressmaker needed some room and transforming Cloud was going to take a while.

"Look, it could be a lot worse," he said as the blond pulled off his shirt, showing his pale, scarred skin. Cloud ran his fingers across several of the scars with the pads of his fingers, and Zack had to look away and steady himself. He pulled out the packages, handing two to Aeris and the other two to Cloud. "Pants off, too. I've got the stockings. We need to see if they fit."

Cloud rolled his eyes, but pushed the dark pants down his hips, letting them pool near his feet. He pulled off his socks and opened the box, pulling the white stretchy material out. His brow furrowed. "I have to wear  _these_ …?" he half-questioned as he looked down at his legs.

"Yep. Also, I bought this." Zack pulled out the bag from behind his back and threw it over to Aeris.

"Shaving cream? Razors?" she said numbly, looking up from the two objects she'd plundered from the bag then back to Zack, then towards Cloud.

"We need your legs to be silky smooth."

Zack snorted as Aeris took the cap off, giving Cloud a pitying look.

"You've got to be kidding. I draw the line right there." Cloud crossed a line on the floor with the ball of his foot from where he sat on the bed. "I  _will not_ let you shave my legs or my armpits. Nothing's even visible. I'm blond!" His voice rose over those of the next-door neighbors, whose moans had escalated to an irritating level.

"No can do, Cloud." Zack smirked again, "Aeris'll give you a hand. The last thing we need is for you to go ripping apart your legs or arms. It's painful, besides." If Cloud could break his nose, he could shave the kid bald.

The woman cocked an eyebrow. "And how would you know that, Zackary?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Well, most SOLDIERs shave their armpits, at least. Do you have any idea how gross you can get? Or they go and get them waxed. The only thing is, well, once you pluck your hair's pretty much gone for good. The hair receptacles get blocked out by the mako. That's why no one in SOLDIER ever shaves their head unless their damn certain they're into that kind of thing. Small wonder we're all sporting such wild hairdos," he finished with a toothy grin.

"I like my hair!" Cloud protested.

"You have any idea how uncomfortable it is to keep it though?"

"What if I get cold? Hair'll keep me warm."

Zack rolled his eyes at the feeble plea. "You aren't getting out of this. Aeris, pop the cap and start squirting. Don't gash him up."

The woman nodded, one hand pulling one of the razors out of the pack, the other squirting lather onto Cloud's leg.

"While you're busy, I'm gonna go grab a few other things. There's got to be someone around here with- oh, never mind. I'll just go ask the dressmaker for it." The raven-haired man walked out of the door discreetly, the sounds of Cloud begging for mercy and Aeris giggling like a school girl trailing after him.

* * *

"Your dress'll be ready in about ten minutes. Until then, I suggest you keep tight and let me put one of the finishing touches on ya," Zack said as he sat down on the bed.

Cloud was staring down at his legs mournfully. "What else do you want to do to me?" he sighed, running his fingers over the soft, satiny stockings. "Cut off my balls?"

Zack smirked at his discomfort. Dressing in drag seemed like suitable payback for the punches. "Of course not. Just turn your head that way," he made a vague gesture to the left, "and let me get this done with. Don't start bitching about the pain either." Zack pulled out a needle and grabbed hold of the blond's right ear. Before the boy even had a moment to protest the needle was through.

Cloud let out a scream of bewildered pain. "Ow, ow! Stop!" Cloud yelled, pulling his ear away from the ex-SOLDIER, fingering the newly-acquired hole. He panted painfully, glaring. "What in Gaia! You just love torturing me, don't you! Fuck _…_ "

Zack stuck his tongue out from the corner of his mouth. "Naw, Cloudy. I don't like torturing you. But you gotta admit it is kinda funny with you making all those faces." He gently pinched his cheeks.

"What did I tell you about doing that?" Cloud said menacingly, his eyes narrowing. Sadly though he wasn't able to produce an ounce of fear in Zack. Screaming moments before about a new earring took all the fear, really.

Zack scratched the back of his neck. "Ah, I don't remember really. Something about maiming me, maybe?" he said, shrugging.

Aeris came in then, carrying the wig. "That thing ready?"

The woman huffed a 'yes'. "It took a little while to get it styled, but I think I did a pretty good job, don't you?" She held out the blonde wig for the two to inspect.

If possible, Cloud looked even more dejected. "Holy, what have you turned me into?" he moaned.

"Cloud, sweetheart, we aren't even close to being finished. I called the Honey Bee Inn not too long ago and because of that Big Bro's kind words they've generously decided that the three of us will be able to go in! I  _know_ they have makeup - some of the girls will help. But, well, we're going to need to get your dress first. Ready?"

"No," both Zack and Cloud said at the same time, the former teasingly.

"You know, why can't you do this yourself?" Cloud questioned angrily, punching his fist against the hard mattress.

"Because there is no way I could ever pass as a woman," Zack said, standing up. "You, on the other hand, are still tiny and have baby fat on your cheeks. You can pass off easier than me." He leaned over, rubbing his hand through the blond's hair. The bobby pins barely held down his spikes.

"Asshole," Cloud murmured, ducking his head out of the way, feigning a half-hearted swipe at the other.

Lazily, Zack shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, I'll go get your dress. Aeris, come with me. You still need to pick one out."

She nodded, playing with the pink ribbon in her hair. "Sure! Come on, Zack. We'll be back in a few minutes, okay Cloud?"

As the two left the room, Zack could hear the boy mumble "I hate my life," under his breath.

Zack smiled.

* * *

"Can I have this dress?" Aeris pulled out a beautiful, but low-cut, dress from the pile.

The dressmaker, in the middle of putting the finishing lace on the lavender dress, nodded affirmative.

After inspecting the garment close-up, she politely asked, "How much is it?" She looked up from her studying to glance at Zack, who was leaning over her shoulder to better see the details on the silk dress.

"You can have it," the dressmaker, now sober after several cups of strong coffee, stated as he cut the stray thread from the dress. "Least I could do. Your friend got me outta my slump. Got me back to workin'. There isn't a better way I could thank ya."

Zack tapped his foot on the floor, watching the man go about pulling the dress off the plastic doll and placing it on a hanger. "So, it's done?" he questioned.

"Yep." The man nodded, straightening out the lacy shoulder straps. "I need to go get a few underskirts from the back, but yeah, it's done."

The raven-haired man reached out a hand, skimming over the other's handiwork. It was beautiful, really. The material flowed, intricate patterns embedded into the seam and the lavender made it even nicer. It went to the knees and was off the shoulder, the sleeves were capped and puffed. Two slits from the waist down garnished the back, a creamy, lavender inside. It laced up with a white cord, tied in an intricate pattern that made the piece even more beautiful, adding that delicate touch of innocence.

Cloud was going to hate it.

"And you did this while drunk?" Zack managed, turning his head to stare at the dressmaker in open amazement.

The man scratched the back of his neck. "Wha'? It's good, right?"

"Oh Goddess, that's beautiful!" Aeris gushed, putting her hand over her heart, "Cloud's going to-"

"Fucking hate it," Zack finished, laughing hysterically. The dressmaker looked up, his eyes widening. "Oh, nothing personal. He wasn't too fond of this idea in the first place," he quickly added, patting the other man on the back happily. "So, you need a couple slips?"

The reminder made the man move off to collect said garments.

"It's a bit unconventional, though... I kind of expected less material, to be honest," Aeris said as she played with her brand new red dress. "It looks like something the President's daughter would wear to a ball."

"Well, it's still pretty and Cloud'll still look hot in it. Maybe we'll pull the skirt up, show a bit of leg? I don't know." Zack grimaced at the thought of what Cloud would do to him. "On the other hand, maybe it's best to leave it as is."

* * *

"Miss Cloudy!" Aeris called out when they came through the door "We have your dress!"

He peaked up, one blue eye training itself on the dress in Zack's arms, before it went back into the pillow.

"It's pretty, right?" Zack gave the boy a cheesy smile, spreading the dress on the bed. Cloud took a deep breath before extracting his head from the object. "Come on, up you go. We've got a woman to save and a pair of balls to get broken. Not to forget the makeup, of course."

Cloud steeled his nerves and stood. His fingernails - polished, thanks to Aeris - grabbed a hold of the dress, throwing it over his head. It slid on easily enough and after a moment he pulled it down, the self-adhesive bra making something of a chest become pronounced through the material.

"Ok, now the wig. You take care of that, Aeris." Zack tilted his head at the woman, whose face was turning a light pink. "I'll get started with the shoes. Sit down on the bed and put your foot up," he instructed.

The boy complied, his fingers drawing shapes in the sheets. Zack bent down, grabbing the pair of stiletto heels. Surprising everyone in the room, they fit.

"Jeez, Cinderella, your feet fit perfectly," Zack laughed.

Aeris shot out a small smile as she placed the wig on top of Cloud's head, securing it with a few more bobby pins. She pulled one from between her teeth and slid it deftly between the boy's scalp and some particularly unruly bangs. Once snugly placed, she topped the blonde curls with the crown and stood back.

Dumbstruck, Zack and Aeris both marveled at the magic they'd weaved.

"Wait, we're missing something." Zack tapped his lip with his finger. "Ah!" he exclaimed before he stepped forward to quickly pull the needle from the blond's ear and shoved the earrings in.

"Ow!" Cloud ground his teeth together in pain as Zack clipped the earring in place and threw the needle into a nearby trash can.

"Pull out the other one," Zack told him, holding a knapsack for the blond to place his earring in. "I've got everything in here - you know, all of our normal clothes and whatnot. Aeris has one too. Since I won't be going in there with you I'll babysit the stuff."

Cloud nodded, pulling out the small silver stud. He tossed it into the bag, picked up the other earring and began putting it in. "Remember, not a word," he reiterated as he shakily stood, attempting to adjust to the five inches added to his height. He nearly fell over twice on the way to the other side of the room. In fact, the only reason he hadn't completely toppled was because Zack was always nearby, laughing at the same time as he caught him.

"I'm getting dressed," Aeris suddenly said, pulling her dress out of the plastic bag, "No peeking!"

* * *

The inn was a foul place. Perhaps it  _looked_  clean,  _smelled_  fairly clean… but there was no doubt of what happened behind the doors that were connected to the circular foyer. The woman dressed in a bumblebee costume smiled but her eyes flashed. "Welcome to the Honeybee Inn," she purred, placing her hands on her hips. "Would you be the people who Big Bro called for?"

Zack nodded his head. Aeris and Cloud stood nearby; the boy had taken to looking down at the floor to make sure he tripped over nothing.

"Well, which room?" The woman swayed her hips, walking to one of the doors.

"No thanks, we don't have the time. These two girls need to meet with Corneo in a few minutes," Zack said, eyeing the northern-most room where the ex-SOLDIER had seen several women 'worker bees' enter.

The woman's eyes bugged out a bit, staring at Zack, scandalized. "We actually need to see some of your, uh, colleagues. Miss Cloudy here," Zack made a vast motion towards Cloud with his right hand, "wants some makeup on h-her," he finished with a stutter, biting on his lip.

The woman looked warily at Zack then towards Cloud.

"Um, alright!" she said before clapping her hands together twice, leading the three towards the room that the girls shared. "Honeybees!" she yelled, gaining the attention of the women who were dressing, "We need you girls to put a bit of makeup on this poor chick!"

A honeybee girl reached out a hand, grabbing at Cloud's arm. "And you need to make a 'bzzzz' out of it! They have 'the meeting.'"

Cloud looked horrified at the prospect but he bore it grimly.

A can of hairspray dropped to the ground.

"Hehe." The woman backed up quickly, leaving the room.

The girls took a few steps forward, armed with makeup wands, lipstick tubes and eyelash curlers. They had the same look of utter concentration planted on their faces as they circled the cross-dressing boy, wielding their makeup like deadly weapons.

* * *

"Holy, I'll never be the same again." Cloud bit his painted bottom lip.

"Don't do that!" Zack said, smacking Cloud's hand. "You'll get that shit all over your teeth."

The trio had begun their walk toward the Corneo Mansion, three weapons attached to Zack's back along with several bags. He wondered idly how he would be able to fight with all of the baggage.

"You-" the blond began.

"Don't even finish that sentence, kiddo. We've gotten you all prettified and now you're going to go do this. You've got to do it." Zack's voice was serious. "Now stand still so I can spray this formaldehyde-smelling crap on ya."

Cloud covered his nose quickly as the spray came. "Ugh," he spluttered, sneezing.

"Gotta agree with you there, kid." Zack smiled a short and crooked smile, pushing the two 'girls' forward. "You ready?"

"Yes," Aeris said, pulling the braid out and fanning her hair around her.

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." Cloud crossed his arms in front of him, glaring off to the side, particularly man-like.

Zack took a deep breath in. "Aw, come on. It'll be fun. Something to tell your grandkids one day."

"Like Holy it will!" Cloud stated firmly. "When this is over and done with I never want to hear another word." The blond took a step forward tilting his head towards Aeris gently. "In and out, right?"

The woman nodded, grabbing Cloud's hand as she began walking forward, attempting to give him strength through her fingers. Zack ducked back, watching their progress, how the man at the door was giving both women a predatory gleam, his words slinking through the air. "You're both fucking hot!" he said with a whistle.

"Yeah, but don't think you can have either," Zack mumbled, glaring.

* * *

The man at the front door was easy enough to get past: one hit to the head with the back of Zack's wrist had him on the ground, eyes rolled back to show the whites. Zack took precautions and yanked the body none too gently out of the way, stashing him behind the house. It wouldn't have been good to have anyone know something fishy was happening. The guy would wake up with a nasty lump on his skull, but he was far luckier than the others.

The guard was much, much luckier than Corneo.

 _When I get my hands on him I'll cut his cock off,_  Zack thought brutally, a sneer crossing his pale lips. During his time as a SOLIDER, the stealth learned from hanging around the Turks had eventually rubbed off. So had the cruelty, for that matter.

It was a blessing.

The shadows bathed him in darkness, making the three weapons attached to his back fade away. The only thing that could not disappear were his violet eyes. He kept them tightly closed.

Zack slipped through the open door easily, too easily for his liking. All the readying for a fight was pointless; the only thing inside was brightly colored tapestries and pictures of indecent women.

He approached the front desk and looked around. Papers were scattered across the wood and the phone line was disconnected.

"What'd you want? You have an appointment wit' one of the girls?" A woman said from behind Zack. He turned around to see her, frizzed hair and smudged makeup, walking down the stairs. She pushed past toward the desk. She ran her fingers over the books, pale digits turning the pages gently while stroking the yellow paper.

"Uh, well." There was no way out of this one, Zack realized before it was too late. There was no time and it didn't look like anyone was booked. He would have to ki-

She glanced up, beady blue eyes widening a fraction as she looked past him. "Oh, I see. I'm so very sorry, Mister Sinclair. I just started a few days ago," she said, stumbling over her words, slamming the book down on the table in a very unprovocative way. She dropped her stature, lowering her shoulders. Now, more than anything, she looked like a small child. "I'll get your room ready for you and send up your  _partner_." She hiked her nightdress above her knees and ran upstairs.

Zack turned back and looked at the man in front of him. He crossed his arms in front of him.

"Y'know, I've been savin' your ass a bit, Fair," Reno's voice flitted from the edges of the cigarette, smoke rolling from his nostrils. "You owe me like, wha'? Two, three favors?" He clapped his hands. "So, why ya here? It sure ain't cause ya need ta get laid. Sis has  _gotta_  be takin' care of that for ya."

"What in Holy was that about, Reno?"

"Nuh-uh, you're gunna answer my questions first. Why's an entire weapon shop attached to your back might be a good start." He plucked the cigarette from his lips and blew a stream of smoke toward Zack.

Zack gritted his teeth and waved away some of the smoke.  _Reno Sinclair, Turk extraordinaire, nothing but a pain in the ass_ , the ex-SOLDIER thought. A fucking menace, that was what he was. With his cigarette dangling from his lips and his rat-nest hair... "Why would I tell you? The last time we talked you had a bunch of nuts try and kidnap Aeris." Zack's fingers tingled for the Buster Sword, but he mashed them into his pockets.

"Aw, don' start wit' me. Just tell me why your ass is at a brothel and I might let ya go withou' consequences." He snuffed the cherry of the cigarette, burning crimson like his hair, out with the heel of his shoe. "I'm here for my appointment." He slid another cigarette from behind his left ear. With the other he attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in his blue suit. A few droplets of reddish brown liquid stood out against his otherwise clean, white shirt.

Zack glared in distaste. "I'm here for noble, heroic reasons. Not to fuck someone's ass."

"Yowch, that stings. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Jus' be on your merry way an' get outta my hair. I've got a nice piece waiting for me." Reno smirked, running his tongue over his lips. "And then I've gotta take care of business." He walked past, his emerald eyes burning holes into Zack's violet ones as he added, "You always know where you can find me."

"Fuck you."

"Hn, maybe." Reno smirked wickedly as he waved one hand nonchalantly toward Zack and he sauntered up the stairs.

* * *

Tifa entered first, dressed in a dark blue two piece  _thing_. Zack had a rather hard time looking away from her bulging cleavage and her exposed Nibelheim skin. Cloud had that skin, the ex-SOLDIER noted before he had pulled his eyes up. Bright neon blue makeup adorned her eyes and a bright fuchsia lipstick glistened on her lips.

"Zack?" Tifa whispered, motioning him to get down.

Zack nodded quickly, ducking below the front desk. Somehow he managed to make all of the weapons fit before the complaining man walked up, the sound of a hand smacking something reverberating through the silent foyer.

"If Corneo doesn't want you, I'll be sure to put you to good use, babe," the man said huskily, and a squeak came from someone's mouth.

"Leave hi- her alone!" Aeris pounded her foot on the ground but the man ignored her.

"Let the lady choose. She's got a mouth... she can use it for more than one thing."

Zack grinded his teeth together in frustration. The small slip up by Aeris, which Zack was nearly positive was not a slip up at all, had informed Zack of one thing: Cloud had really convinced the man, and all the men nearby, that  _he_  was a  _she_.

"I-I don't know," Cloud muttered and Zack nearly hit his head on the table.

"He's actually pulling it off," Zack whispered, putting one of his hands over his mouth. It had been a long shot with a very far-fetched chance of success but... Shit, Cloud did it.

"Well, babe, I'll be waiting." The man took a step forward and his expensive shoe stopped near Zack's head. The ex-SOLDIER couldn't resist the temptation growing within his throat. He spat, the shiny yellow phlegm gleamed in the pale light on the bastard's shoe.

A snort came from not too far away, and the ex-SOLDIER imagined Cloud, his head hanging low, seeing the spit soar.

"What's that, babe?" the man asked, taking another step.

The clock rang incessantly from above and Zack could hear all of the girls (and Cloud) sigh in relief.

"Better take you up," the man sighed. Once again the sound of a hand smacking on soft skin made Zack twitch.

* * *

Zack really needed to send the Turks a thank you note for teaching him the basics in espionage. Hanging from the corner of the room (the perfect spot from which to ambush opponents) he had a full view of everything going on in the room next to him. His stomach churned, nothing to do with the height or the weight of the things on his back. It probably would have been easier to be on the ground, but he couldn't take chances for Corneo seeing him.

"I've been looking for quite some time, and perhaps tonight one of you will become my bride. Woo hoo! Pretty little things, all of you! I want all three of you." Corneo said, his hands behind his back. He paced the room for a moment, tapping a finger against his lip.

Corneo was an old and fat man, his balding blond head reminding Zack of too-polished shoes. He wore ridiculously garish robes that couldn't hide the bulge of his stomach or his... interest. Zack knew about Corneo. He was a skeevy guy on the best of days, monster of the worst. Shinra kept with him for the simple fact of more control over the masses below the plate.

Tifa pushed out her chest as he passed and Aeris tilted her head to the side, bright eyes twinkling. Cloud, who had been looking shyly at his feet, now looked up. His blue eyes widened and blinked at the Don a few times before he looked back down.

"Don't do that, pretty!" Corneo placed his fingers on Cloud's neck, forcing his head to the side. He pinched Cloud's ear between his fingers and Zack heard Cloud suck in a sharp breath, before going back to twisting at his blond curls.

"I've chosen my princess for the night!" Corneo announced suddenly. Zack noticed the man's fingers grip a little harder onto Cloud's wig, one hand suggestively moving down to his thigh. The blond's face turned slightly pink and a growing look of horror became more and more apparent.

Apparently Corneo thought the flush indicated happiness. "Hoo boy! Yes, princess, my choice for the night is this beautiful, healthy looking girl!" He grabbed Cloud's hand, spinning him around.

Both Tifa and Aeris looked ashamed and upset. The old man merely waved his hand at them. "You two can go. Maybe another time."

A pair of men standing at the door escorted the two other women out and Zack resisted the urge to jump down. Despite his training, his legs were on fire. He had to wait another minute or so until Corneo disappeared behind the curtain, his fingers entwined in Cloud's dress.

When he managed to get down without a sound, Zack crept to the curtain and listened in. The soft material blew against his skin, sending a shiver through Zack's body. The voices were hardly muffled by the thin material between the two worlds: one of heroes, one of debauchery.

"So, princess, what's your name?" The material was also slightly transparent so the ex-SOLDIER was able to see the others' outlines. Cloud sat on the bed, his legs crossed. The Don was further towards the end of the bed, peeling off his robe.

"Cloud," the blond uttered in a soft voice.

"Cloud? So pretty," the man purred, touching Cloud's shoulders. Bile rose in Zack's mouth as he watched Cloud and the pervert interact.

The Don seemed slightly perturbed by Cloud's lack of enthusiasm. "Is there… another?" he asked, rubbing Cloud's back, running fat fingers through the stray hairs of the wig. His breath was heavy and husky.

Zack noticed Cloud flinch. "Yes," he finally whispered.

"What's his name?" Don Corneo pulled his pants down over his gigantic stomach, a small frown on his lips.

"Zack," Cloud answered.

Zack choked. Corneo turned his head for a moment, looking over at the door before turning his attention back to Cloud. "Well, let me wipe his touch away from you. Hoo boy!" He lifted the lavender strap from Cloud's shoulder. "I can make him disappear." He kneeled down, touching his lips to the crook of the blond's neck.

The black-haired man bit his lip to keep silent. He had promised Cloud safety and right now he was in the snake's pit.

"I have some questions," Cloud started, but was silenced.

"Cloud, don't struggle. I'll make you feel beautiful." A blue-veined, wrinkled hand went to the gown's back clasp.

The blond began to struggle lightly; it was obvious there was something going n, something very wrong.

"I said I have some questions," Cloud said again, but Corneo grabbed Cloud's neck and forced him down onto his back.

"No, no, precious," the Don was saying, "Don't do that. I've got the entire place surrounded by guards. It would be sad to see them with their filthy fingers on your beautiful skin." He bent his head closer to Cloud, pushing his lips to his left ear.

"No!" Cloud yelled, pushing Corneo away. The man tumbled uncertainly away, a look of anger across his face.

It happened in a flash. Corneo was on top of the kid, pushing his hands up the dress. Cloud screamed loudly, beating at the man's face. Zack could have swore Cloud's eyes flashed green as Corneo slapped him across the face, sending his head into the headboard. The same grimy hand went down, covering over Cloud's mouth until he bit into the flesh.

"Zack!" Cloud panicked.

"Shut up!" Corneo whispered harshly, digits crawling up the boy's thigh.

There was not even a moment of hesitation on Zack's part. The loose skin he grasped felt like putty under his fingers and the bulging eyes and pallid skin sickened the ex-SOLDIER.

"Zack!" Cloud yelled and pulled his dress down. Zack noticed that there was something wrong with Cloud's eyes, that there was a tear that'd escaped from the corner of his eyes, but he didn't want to look. He looked like a broken doll, the glass eyes pulled out by an angry brother, the dress wrinkled and stained. "What the fuck was that?"

The old man was not pleased. "Lover boy?" he cringed, his stubby fingers pulling at Zack's larger ones.

"It would be easy to kill you." The ex-SOLDIER dug his nails into the man's throat, a maniacal sneer spread across his mouth. Zack snapped his eyes to Cloud, who was biting his lips. "You okay?"

"We're here!" Tifa yelled, running into the room.

Aeris skidded into the room close behind, yelling, "Cloud, are you alright!" Her eyes quickly found the blond struggling to stand from his place on the bed. He was tripping over the folds of his dress, a furious look on his face.

Zack let go of the old man in an instant, moving quickly enough to catch the boy before he fell face first into the floor.

"Lover boy and the rest of you against me?" Corneo spit onto the mattress, his eyes burning into Cloud. "Take the little whore if you want her."

Zack wrapped his arms around the kid, pulling him into a standing position. Cloud's face was leaking fresh tears, but the anger was a multitude more powerful. "I'm no whore," Cloud hissed, wiping his face on Zack's shirt.

"Come on, we're getting out of here." Zack pulled the boy up with one hand, reaching around his back with the other. If Cloud wasn't so shocked, there would have been no way he would have let himself be coddled. "Tifa, go get our bags. They're in the next room. We're leaving." He pulled Aeris's rod off his back and threw it towards her. She caught it with her hand, attaching the belt across her back.

Cloud had other plans, though. He grabbed Zack's sword from his back and with a move which would have laid a First Class on his ass, pointed the sword like it was paper. "You're going to talk now or I'll fucking cut them off." He pointed the blade at the jugular vein throbbing in the Don's neck.

Tifa returned with a few bags in her hands. "Got them. No more, right?"

Zack shook his head 'no.' He allowed Cloud to continue threatening Corneo, feeling  _justice_ swirling in the pit of his stomach.

"Good. I wasn't able to find anything else anyway." She deposited them at the foot of the bed.

Corneo lipped a few words that none of the people in the room were able to catch. Aeris put one foot on bed, staring at the shaking man. "You'll talk, or I'll smash them," she threatened.

Zack noticed Tifa looked fairly confused by the whole situation, her eyes large.

"No!" The fat man covered the front of his pants, attempting to protect his precious jewels. "I'll tell you what you want! Just please, don't do anything to me!" He looked over to Cloud, pleading. "Tell them to leave me alone!" he wailed.

Cloud sneered and cocked his head back and spat into the man's eyes. "I'm not your fucking princess." He wiped his lips with the hem of his dress, mako blue eyes glaring.

Tifa nodded lightly, looking at the others. She moved towards the Don and cracked her knuckles threateningly. "If you don't talk I'll rip them off," she warned.

Corneo's face lost all of the color. He did not even try to wipe the slimy liquid from his eye. "Please don't! I'll tell you everything you want! Everything!"

Aeris looked to Tifa, who nodded her head. "Well," the dark-haired woman smirked, "what do you know about the Shinra?"

"They want me dead," he moaned, crawling towards Tifa. "I know too much and they've sent the Turks after me!"

"Reno didn't look like he was in a hurry to kill you," Zack stated, remembering the smiling two-faced man. "Though, he did say that he needed to take care of business."

"And he will! See! The Shinra maniacs want me dead because I know too much, about Sector Seven, about-" he clamped his mouth shut with his hand, a look of horror adorning his face.

Tifa's eyebrows rose. "What about Sector Seven?" she demanded.

The Don sighed, knowing he was defeated. "Shinra's pulling the plug on Sector Seven. In a twenty four hours or so all that'll be left is a pile of rubble. Once the Plate Release System is activated… boom!" He inched closer to the headboard. Too quickly for any to react, he pushed a small button embedded in the wood.

And with that, the floorboards around the bed opened up and swallowed them.

* * *

That small amount of information extracted was enough to cause serious worry for the four. The Sector Seven plate was to come down in a day's time. Blood would pool in the streets and screams would erupt in the air. The smell of mako would be overpowered by blood and thousands of lives would be crushed in a moment of ill-fated superiority. Four people had the knowledge to save the sector, yet there they were, stuck in the center of a vast sea of bones, silk and bottles of empty wine, all accompanied by a very, very loud roaring.

"Zack, I don't think this is good…" Cloud stared as the floor began to rumble and the liquefied filth of the sewers became waves.

 

 


	6. Talk of Apocalypse

# Chapter Five: Talk of Apocalypse

Zack was drawn to it. It washed in with the sewer water, a devilish monster he was sure Corneo'd either bred or bought for this reason exactly. Larger than most monster, its skin a foul greenish-blue, the color of a sick man's face. Two large horns protruded from its head and the tangled fur.

"Shit!" Cloud yelled, reaching back for his katana. The metal glistened in the low sewer light. "What is that thing?"

Tifa raised one gloved hand, her fire materia reacting, and shot a spurt of flames at the monster. Aeris followed her lead, noticing there was no way they could physically attack. Their own physical attacks, while powerful against weak monsters, were nothing but swats and matchsticks compared to both Zack and Cloud.

"Cloud, let's kick this thing's ass!" Zack yelled, slipping his own sword from its sheath, dodging a forked tail. He swung his Buster sword, barely grazing the creature's hard-as-iron skin. "Shit!" he seethed as he evaded another assault, this time in the form of a swiping claw.

Cloud took this moment to attack, slamming his katana into the monster's foot. Several sparks appeared as the metal grazed what seemed to be metal as well. Zack looked at the feet, noticing the shackles protecting its ankles: a weak spot.

Aeris and Tifa both sent off a few more fire spells, the former climbing up a nearby stairway to avoid another oncoming wave of water. "Watch out!" she shouted from her safe spot.

The black-haired man saw the wave approaching from behind the monster and quickly moved out of the way, grabbing onto a thick piece of metal with one hand, aiming his sword at the monster's head with the other. Effortlessly, it slid in like a knife through water, piercing the thin membrane protecting its brain. He pulled out his sword, eliciting a feral growl of immeasurable pain from the monster.

"Cloud, move!"

A streak of fire launched from Tifa's hands towards Cloud, who ducked out of the way, landing headfirst into the filthy water. Zack moved to give Aeris a clear shot. She unleashed several consecutive fireballs. When the flurry ended Zack quickly shoved his sword into the monster again.

Cloud stood, spitting out a mouthful of water, and plunged his weapon into the already huge hole in the monster's head. To get a better reach he jumped onto his foe's back. His blade slid further in. Zack could see red blood mixing with greenish blue. A low groan rattled his allies' heads as the monster fell to the sewers, the chain binding him to his deathbed. Cloud fell, too.

"Shit!" Zack yelled, watching Cloud fall, a gaping wound in his shoulder. Stunned, Zack let his own sword go clattering to the ground. Tifa was quick though - even before the sound of metal echoed, she had the wound sealed.

Cloud shook his head for a moment before spitting out a bit of blood. "Well, that wasn't fun." He shrugged and grabbed his shoulder, dusting it off, inspecting the non-existent damage. "Thanks, Tifa."

The woman nodded, pushing the orb of materia back into her glove.

* * *

Zack wasn't pleased. "You need to make sure you don't die, moron." He tossed a pair of stained pants at the kid, who placed them on the bar nearby.

"What, you think I  _like_  getting impaled by objects?" he returned as he pulled off the tangled blond wig, tossing it down into the murky water with a disgusted grunt. "I never want to do anything like that again," Cloud mumbled, digging his foot into the wig, spitting onto it. Zack heard a small, "Where's fire materia when you need it?"

Zack folded his arms, violet eyes glowing in the pale light. "That's  _exactly_ what I'm starting to think."

"Well…" He struggled for a moment, his hand far above his head, reaching for the back zipper. After a moment he lowered his arm and looked at Zack. "Look, would you just help me with this?" he said, exasperated, stepping toward the ex-SOLDIER and turning around. "I'm not made of goo, here."

Zack nodded and ran his fingers up the panel of the dress. His digits ghosted against the skin as he unclasped the top. "You know, we really should keep this," Zack stated as he pulled the zipper down, revealing the scarred skin of Cloud's back.

"So you can use it as blackmail?" Cloud turned around, letting the material pool at his feet. He stepped out, kicking the dress into a nearby wall. "Maybe when Gaia freezes over."

Zack watched the blond pull off his under-slips, tossing them in the direction of the lavender silk. "I wouldn't do that, Cloud," he said, serious, watching as Cloud huffed in disbelief and sent his fingers once again groping for a clasp he could not reach. "You know you can count on me," he added. Without question or answer, he stepped forward, quickly unclasping the bra. It fell to the ground.

Cloud turned, cocking his head. "I know, but... There's so much you're not telling me, I can feel it and I can see it." Cloud looked down and splayed one hand across his scarred chest, running the pads of his fingers across the scars.

Zack closed his eyes for a moment before kneeling down. He noticed, painfully, that the straps to the shoes had begun cutting into Cloud's ankles, red bruises already ringing his leg. Chains, much like the monster lying outside. "Look," he started, reaching down to pull at the shoe's strap, "why don't you get dressed? We can talk about this when we get to drier land. Where it doesn't smell." Zack gave a small, fake smile, trying to reassure him.

Cloud took in a shaky breath, pulling his legs below him. "Just put my clothes where my pants are. I'll find you once I'm finished." He grabbed the stiletto heels with his hand, tossing them past Zack. "Look, I can't undress with you standing there." He pointed toward the clothes pile then out at a nearby door. "Go."

"'kay." Zack stood up, pulling a few other items from the bag, placing them delicately near the pair of worn out pants, "Holler if you need anything."

* * *

"This place is creepy," Aeris whispered, looking around at the desolate and empty trains, the smell of oil-slicked train tracks and mako permeating the air.

"The Sector Seven Train Graveyard," Tifa acknowledged, her eyes scanning the cars. "They used this place to bury some of the dead who came back from the First Wutaian War. Nasty thing," she concluded, pulling the red jacket Aeris lent her with a shiver.

Cloud shivered too. "Very nasty. I remember-" he cut himself off, looking down at his brown boots. The words rippled through the air.

Zack scrunched his nose a bit, tossing a few things into a nearby train car. "Well, it looks homely enough." He walked towards one of the nearby empty barrels, sticking his head inside. "We can make a nice bonfire. Then we rest for a little while." Cloud sent him a look, which made him nod wearily and acknowledge, "And talk. But make it fast, alright?"

"Me and Aeris'll go and find some kindling," Tifa said, pointing her thumb toward a large pile of wood on the other side of the train. "I don't think we can use these."

Aeris nodded. "Agreed. Let's go!" She smiled a large, glowing smile before walking off, twirling her rod in one hand.

"I guess you'll be going with her?" Zack asked.

Tifa sighed. "Yep." She shot a look at Cloud, raising her hand in a short farewell gesture. She turned around and followed Aeris, walking through the light mist and disappearing between the monstrous cars.

When the two were gone, Cloud rounded on Zack, eyes narrowed suspiciously. He crossed his arms in the defensive gesture Zack realized he'd adopted since they broke out of Hojo's lab, dispassionately staring.

"What do you want to know?" Zack sighed, sitting on the edge of the compartment where he had thrown their belongings. He noticed, faintly, that the water a nearby pool was the poisonous color of mako. "They aren't going to stay away long. Aer is a worry-wart."

"She's just… worried." He thought for a moment. "About you," he added as an afterthought.

Zack patted the spot beside him. "'Bout what though? I'm perfectly fine!  _We're_ perfectly fine. See? Not even a pimple." Zack poked his face and pulled at his skin.

Cloud bit his lip for a moment. " Maybe she's worried that you're going to leave her."

At this Zack laughed, grabbing Cloud's arm, pulling him practically onto his lap. "Who would I go with? Tifa? She's a nice girl and everything but I thought  _you_ liked her. I don't play around with my best buddy's girl!" Zack gave Cloud a light noogie.

Cloud jerked away, jumping down from the makeshift seat, landing on his feet. "Tifa isn't my girl. I don't even like her that way."

Zack's mouth dropped open unceremoniously. "Why in Gaia not? Are you blind?"

"No, I'm not blind," he answered hotly, pounding his foot into the grating below, "but Tifa isn't the type of person I'm into."

Zack clicked his tongue. "My advice to you is to find more than one girl, one opportunity, and go for it. Don't go telling me, 'she just isn't my type,' when you haven't even tried." He stopped suddenly, a look of dawning crossing his face.

Cloud took a step back. "What? Why do you look like I just sacrificed your puppy?"

The ex-SOLDIER bit his lip tentatively. "You aren't into Aeris, right?" It took a minute for his lips to form the words. Before being stuck in the lab for five years, Zack knew he would have been nothing less than chaotic when confronting the idea that someone wanted Aeris. She was special, after all - she had been his first non-sexual encounter that lasted for more then two dates. Now he was just resigned. This was Cloud, an angel practically in disguise with the halo simply dimmed out of sight. The idea of Cloud falling for Aeris was much more comforting than if anyone else, like a Turk for example, fell in love with the green-eyed beauty.

_It's Cloud…_

"No! Of course not!" Cloud yelled as he walked closer to Zack, his feet hitting the ground rhythmically. "I can't just not be into anyone?"

One black eyebrow arched and Zack took on Cloud's pose of folding his arms across his body. "There's no way you're asexual. Come on, what really stirs those feelings up in your-"

Cloud cut him off. "No more. I want to know about…  _this_ -" The blond pulled up his shirt, pointing at a rather jagged scar that spanned his abdomen.

"Aren't we rushing a little? I haven't even bought you dinner yet," Zack joked, his eyes avoiding the pale stretch of skin below the tattered shirt. The truth was he didn't want to look. It stirred up feelings, scoping from misery to anger and made his stomach squirm like larva.

"This isn't funny."

"I know it isn't," he sighed, moving a hand back through his dirty spikes.

"Do you have them, or am I just special?" Cloud asked scathingly, eyes attempting to burn holes in the black-haired man's shirt.

Zack picked up the hem of his purple shirt, humoring the kid. Unlike the blond, he had fewer gashes but more needle pricks. He never even bothered to think of a reason why, more than Hojo being a psychopath.

Cloud pulled the shirt back into place, his eyes downcast. "So, how did we get them?"

_Be blunt as possible or lie?_

"Cloud, I think you should sit down."

The blond sat where he had previously stood and forced Zack to wriggle down to the ground. It was icy, he noticed with a faint chill, though not as cold as it would have been for others. Despite his SOLDIER benefits, the floor was still not pleasant.

Zack ran a hand through his hair, unsure of what would come next. "I… I really don't know."

**He can see right through you.**

"You're lying!" Cloud struggled to stand, ignoring Zack, who had reached out a hand. "Whatever it was it happened to you, too. Why can't you just tell me and spare us both the melodramatic bullshit? It isn't like I'm going to burst into tears whatever you say!" Cloud towered above him now, his mako blue eyes tunneling into the ex-SOLDIER's. "Just get it over with otherwise I don't know what I'll do…" the last was almost a plea, so unlike Cloud it jolted Zack to his senses.

Zack bent his head in shame. "Five -" he cut himself off, deliberately shaking his head as if to rid his skull of a demon with a needle and a maniacal grin. "Five years ago, when your hometown burned to the ground, we were both captured," he said slowly. "I don't know much... but they experimented on us…"

Zack could not stomach the idea of telling Cloud everything. Give him a basic understanding and leave out the details of who and why. Most importantly, he refused to admit how loud the screams of pain were. He looked away for a second to hide the shame in his eyes.

Cloud blinked, Zack noticed when he looked back at the boy. His face was cold, expressionless, and for a moment Zack did not know if Cloud was in shock or just hadn't heard. "I'm sorry, Cloudy." He gave a cheesy half-smile, pushing the boy's arm lightly. "We really shouldn't talk about these things. They take too much happiness out of our systems. You of all people don't need another jolt of that." Jokes and jibes were the few comforts Zack had in his arsenal. A trick his mother had taught him at a young age: It was much easier to fight off everything bad when you had a smile on your face.

"My ma used to tell me to never look down on a situation. She would be making dinner and tell me, 'You don't need to get upset every time somethin' bad happens. How would the world be if we could only see the bad? Put on a smile, doesn't matter if it's real or not, and don't let anything pull you under,' or some crap like that. Then she would yell at me for not washing under my fingernails."

Cloud cracked a small, withered smile. It reminded Zack of how flowers die, their petals falling mercilessly onto the ground and crushed down by the cold.

"Ah! See? Smile nice and bright. Then there were the night-time stories. Maybe one day I'll tell you some of those. I've got my favorite one on the tip of my tongue. Looks like the girls are coming back."

"Aeris, she's... she's nice," Cloud finished lamely.

Zack nodded. "She's really different. I don't know how to explain it, but -"

"She just has this aura that makes you think of a mother, someone who really cares about _you_."

Zack grinned. "Yeah, you aren't the only one to feel that way. I wonder how she'd be with kids."

"Y-you want to have kids with her? It's that serious?"

Zack shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. She's amazing and I think I love her... Sometimes I get this feeling that I might not be completely right. Maybe I love her, but not enough? I don't know. I do know I do want kids."

Cloud bit his lip. "Well, I wish you luck, I guess." Cloud looked away. Zack thought it odd how quickly the conversation died. He turned to approach the women and a moment later he was pulling some of the load from their hands.

Zack rubbed the small 'X' scar with his fingers, wishing he understood why he couldn't completely devote himself to Aeris. Five years ago he would've had no issue with having sex with her, but since coming back with Cloud he was finding it difficult to touch her like he'd always dreamed. She was willing but his body wasn't responding. He looked down, eyes filled with malice. "Why can't you just work? Did Hojo experiment on you, too?" He shook his head miserably and looked up, muttering, "I really need to get laid."

His body twitched in agreement.

"Zack, what are you rambling about?" Aeris asked. She held two logs under her arms. They looked heavy, Zack noticed with a frown. He glanced up to see Cloud slugging it out with about a dozen more chunks of wood, nearly falling over his own feet.

"Nothin', toots," Zack yelled as he jumped from his perch, already taking off towards the blond. Much to his displeasure the boy had just fallen over a set of train tracks, the wood sprinkled in every direction. "Gaia, you're a klutz," Zack laughed as he reached out a hand for Cloud to grab. It was ignored.

Cloud rolled his eyes and got to his knees, picking up a few of the nearby pieces of wood. He tossed them over to Zack, who caught them deftly in his long fingers. "You trying to take out my eye?" Zack asked, fingers gripping what could have been a rather dangerous spike. "'Cause, you know, throwing sharp things isn't a good way to make friends."

"And it isn't nice to laugh at your friends either," Cloud said pointedly, collecting a few more pieces of rotting wood, "We should go." The formerly scattered pieces of wood were now safely lined up in their arms.

"Yeah."

* * *

The silence was piercing. Dark tendrils of smoke rose above their heads from the musky fire that didn't warm their bodies or spirits. Rather than burning the dress like Cloud wanted, they fashioned several small rags to be considered as blankets, giving two to the women, one for both Cloud and Zack. The purple material didn't do much but cover their skin from the chill. Zack knew they wouldn't stop for long, just enough time for their aching bodies to replenish their energy.

"What's going to happen to Sector Seven?" Tifa asked, pushing her foot against the side of the train. Aeris was huddled next to her, wrapped in a bit of the dress with a warm fire materia in her hands. "We can't just let everyone die!" Tifa exclaimed, slamming her boot against the side, the sound of cracking metal echoing.

"Of course not, we'll save them. We can't do it if you're half dead."

Cloud looked up from his rags. "You always did want to be the hero," he whispered before taking a look at the women, Tifa especially. She was nibbling her lip thoughtfully. He looked away into the flames.

"Hero…" the ex-SOLDIER gave a cold laugh, "I don't think heroes exist anymore."

"That isn't true." Aeris said carefully, her eyes glazed in the materia's light. "You're a hero, aren't you?"

"Not really." Zack shrugged, looking towards Cloud, who sat staring into the dim fire, lost in thought. He nudged the blond lightly, "What do you think? Am I cut out to be a hero?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I always thought so."

"I don't know..." Zack responded, "Look, you guys take a nap. I'll be on lookout." Zack gave a mock salute as the three turned away. Cloud came over closer, though. Even with his mako poisoning cleared, it was an unconscious movement.  _Cloud had a thing for falling asleep on me. He always li_ _stened to my heart. It soothes him._

Zack looked from Cloud's face to Aeris. She had turned around, her shimmering brown hair falling like waves. But, he looked back down to Cloud...

* * *

Zack's eyes were drooping. There was no more adrenaline in his veins. He was just there. Not even a monster had passed by with the hope of getting a tasty snack.

He was bored.

Cloud was still fast asleep, his head in Zack's lap. The ex-SOLDIER had begun to run his hands through Cloud's dirty blond hair just to keep himself awake. There was a spot on the boy's head, Zack found after a short while, that if touched would cause Cloud to practically purr. He moved the hair out of the way to find a small strawberry shaped birthmark. Cloud hated when people touched his head but this,  _this_ , was far too interesting to let go. Zack also noticed, after a moment's inspection, that the hair surrounding the spot was a little longer and darker.

"Aren't you a puzzle." The raven-haired man stroked the small mark on the boy's head, listening to the purring moan.

**It's already starting...**

A yawn came from where Aeris and Tifa slept.

It was Aeris, lightly shaking her head and groggily opening her eyes. "How long have I been out?" she asked, covering her mouth as she yawned. Her hair was matted with dirt and grime and a small streak of filth ran next to her nose. She trailed one hand through her long brown locks as the other rose high above her head, stretching.

Zack looked down at his watch, moving his hand from below the blond's head. "Uh, about two hours." He scrunched his nose tiredly. "We should get moving soon."

Aeris shook her head tiredly. "No, silly. You're going to sleep." She got onto her knees and pushed her blanket piece to Zack. "Come on, we have time. You need to sleep. That man said we had until seven tomorrow night to get there. It's about eleven at night now, so just sleep. I'll be lookout for a little while. You need to rest or you're going to be useless when we need you the most." She began braiding her hair, a few thick strands falling into her face.

Zack sighed, took the dirt-crusted blanket and put it onto the floor for a pillow. He moved Cloud to the ground, pulling him closer once he lay on the floor, uncomfortably. He noticed the blond's head fit almost perfectly into the crook of his shoulder. "You're right. I need some sleep. I don't need to fall on my face later on." He yawned.

"He looks fragile." She lifted her fingers up, seemingly to reach for Cloud, though they fell to back. She looked broken for a moment.

"He's stronger than he looks." Zack smiled at Cloud before looking back to Aeris. "What's wrong?" he asked, moving his head to the side.

Aeris sighed. "Something in my stomach tells me we need to be careful with him. I don't know why, but I can hear it pounding like a restless drum. I can't understand it, nor do I wish to," she said this with uncertainty, biting her lip. "It makes me feel…"

"Broken," Zack answered. He didn't need Aeris' confirmation. He knew they felt the same way.

* * *

The troop walked in an uncomfortable silence. Their order of standing was odd: Aeris took to walking close to Zack, between him and Cloud, while Tifa stood near Cloud, shooting off secretive glances every so often. It stayed like that for an hour, glance around and take a few steps, then glance around and take another few steps. They never met one another's eyes, nor did they need to.

Zack noticed not too long after they began their walk that several of the cars were still housing various amounts of electricity. The lights pulsed on and off. An engine in one of the conductor cars tried to start up, screeching rabidly like a wild animal. They could see the glitter of the mako pounding below their feet; traces of it surrounded their nostrils. Green gas danced above their heads. On one rare occasion of conversation, Aeris pointed this out.

"It's the mako pollution," he answered, making her look up in wonder.

"But it's so pretty," Aeris sighed, playing with the metal adorning her wrist. Next to her Cloud shrugged, never moving his gaze from the path.

Zack looked up again once more before stopping. The rest jolted to a standstill. Tifa snapped her eyes from Cloud to Zack questioningly. "Hmm, you say something?" she asked, her brown eyes going from face to face though they avoided Cloud's eyes.

"Just mako pollution," Zack stated again, looking around. "New pollution at that."

"But how can you tell?" Cloud questioned, looking up at the mingling gases. "I mean, it looks exactly the same as all other mako pollution."

Zack enthusiastically shook his head, raven spikes bouncing. He looked like a child presented with candy. "No, it isn't the same! That stuff's new because it still holds the slightest trace of engine oil. If it had been there for more than a few hours it would have lost that smell by now." He rushed forward, jumping into a train car. His fingers toyed with the pad on the conductor's station.

"Zack, don't play with that." Aeris ran closer as a noxious slew of oil gushed from the train's pipes. "You're going to do something really bad! You don't know how to drive that thing!" She attempted to climb into the car, but fell to her knees in a huff.

"I'm Gongagan - I can make a shoe drive!" he yelled. "All I did was push the button and it worked." Slowly he moved the car to a stop, pulling on the break. The smile across his face seemed to brighten the Train Graveyard. "I got it to move enough so we can squeeze through. See?" He jumped out, helped Aeris up and pointed to the small walkway he created. "The mako is coming from over there. That's where we need to go."

Cloud looked into the sky dubiously. "Yeah, and I own a chocobo named Duck that can fly, Zack."

The man smirked. "Oh, Cloud, I need to get you a flying chocobo..." Clapping his hands decisively, Zack walked into the small crevice. He stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth.

"Bite me."

"Suit yourself. Come on girlies, let's go kick some Shinra ass. Sector Seven's just off this-" his voice dropped a few octaves. In front of his eyes were unmarked gravestones; some were pieces of wood stuck into the ground, others were a piece of rock over where the head had once rested, before worms began their feast upon their eyes. "Shit."

Cloud jumped back, disturbed. "Here? Who would want to be buried  _here?"_

Aeris was the first to follow Zack past the train car and into the graveyard. Zack noticed that her fingers were slick with sweat and her brow was creased, almost as if she had a headache she could not get rid of. "These people," she said, kneeling down, "many of them had families. Women left alone to raise children, parents waiting for letters from their sons, girlfriends pregnant and alone." She bit down on her lip as she touched one of the rocks.

"Okay, no more of that." Zack knelt, touching the woman's arm gently. "You shouldn't do this to yourself." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Aeris's forehead.

She laughed, standing up shakily. "Zack, you're a force to be reckoned with."

Cloud and Tifa walked into the small makeshift graveyard at that moment. Cloud sucked in a breath.

"You alright?" Aeris asked, wiping her face with her hand.

He didn't respond.

"Hey, Gaia to Cloudy! The lights on and computers running up there?" Zack walked forward, dropping his hand from Aeris's shoulder, snapping his fingers wildly in front of Cloud's face. The ex-SOLDIER even knekt down, waving his hands in front of the vacant boy's face. "You alive? Aeris, come look at him," he said, waving her forward, "he isn't responding."

The woman knelt to grasp the boy's face. He suddenly jerked away, writhing at her touch. "Okay..." Zack mumbled, kicking a nearby headstone.

"Be respectful to the dead," Aeris said harshly. She glared as she nursed her hand.

Cloud shook his head, looking at the three. "Sorry, kinda-"

Zack cut him off. "Had a blackout in your brain? Don't worry 'bout it; we all get that a bit. You alright, toots? Looks like your hand's hurt."

Aeris shook her head quickly, her voice a bit high when she responded. "Oh, I'm fine. Of course, we should get going about now." She pointed toward another opening a few yards away where a broken piece of metal twisted into a bridge. "We can climb up it and then we'll be at the Sector Seven-"

Her voice was cut off by a high-pitched whirring. "What in the heavens is that?" she yelled and they all covered their ears as they heard gunfire and screeching tires.

"Shit." Zack looked at his watch. "It's only three thirty in the morning! They can't be dropping it now."

"Well, I think they are," Cloud stated grimly, shaking Tifa out of her stupor. Her eyes were round and her hand was shaking over her mouth.

"They're all sleeping." Tifa's voice shook.

"Then we'd better go wake them up!"

* * *

The area around the plate's pillar was in shambles: People woken by the noise running anywhere their feet took them; men and women pointing rifles at the Shinra soldiers surrounding the pillar; children crying for their parents.

"Ah!" Aeris screamed as a body fell from above, landing next to them. Blood splashed across their faces.

"Shit! Wedge." Zack knelt down, reaching for the man's mutilated arm. It reminded him of an undercooked sausage, the insides showing when he knew they weren't meant to. He knew there wasn't a pulse, so he shook his head.

Tifa vomited and dropped to her knees next to Wedge's corpse. Aeris knelt beside her, rubbing circles on the woman's back. After a moment Tifa got shakily to her feet, not even sparing another glance at the body of her friend. "Aeris," she wiped her nose then pulled the jacket off, handing it to the woman, "there's a little girl named Marlene in a bar named Seventh Heaven down the street. Take her somewhere safe?"

Aeris was nodding as Tifa talked. She planted her rod into the ground, shrugging her jacket back onto her shoulders. "Don't even worry. Go save the pillar and I'll handle everything else." Her smile was bright, but it didn't match her eyes. The blood streak on her face was stark on pale skin.

"Be careful," Zack called as she ran off into the distance. She didn't turn back.

Zack glanced to Tifa then Cloud, pulling his Buster sword from his back. "Let's get moving. I hear a lot of gun fire up there. Probably Barret."

Tifa pulled her gloves unconsciously tighter. The blond had already unsheathed his sword, pointing it to the ground to prevent accidental impalement of one of the people running around. Cloud looked slightly queasy, his face a pale shade of green. The tip of the katana made small scrapes into the dirt.

"I don't think everyone is gonna be able to get away before this thing falls."

"Don't talk like that!" Tifa yelled, swinging her fist into her other hand.

The black-haired man shrugged before pushing his way past hordes of people to the gated area.

* * *

Zack's fingers were soaked with blood. It was a dull realization as he pushed the last member of the platoon across the bars and down to the earth below. He looked down and for a moment noticed he was stained with red, the blood dripping from his sword. He swung the Buster in a short arc, congealing blood flying off the blade.

Biggs was sprawled across the banister, his ribs poking out from his shirt, several bullet holes riddling his body. He'd been repeating the same words over and over again. There was nothing Zack could do to ease his pain; the Cure hadn't worked...

"Jessie," Biggs whispered one last time, reaching above, searching for a hand he expected to be there. After a grueling moment Biggs's hand fell limp at his side, eyes glazed with tears unshed. They would never be shed, Zack realized.

Cloud was the one to close those staring eyes. In the heat of the battle, bullets still whizzing by their heads, Cloud took the time to pull down his companion's lids. The gesture made Zack smile with bittersweet emotion.

"Come on, we're almost to the top," Tifa announced, not even looking up. These were the people she had known for longer than two weeks and Zack knew there was a moment of grief for every person, every cold corpse they passed that had a face and a name. He'd already counted twenty two of their own. Tifa would mourn them all.

"Don't do anything rash," a voice stated from above, one immaculate black shoe and a blue suit leg peaking out. Zack noticed her immediately. Her hair was up in a bun, face void of any expression. Zack realized she refused to look at the corpse on the landing. "He didn't give me a choice."

Tifa choked and tried to say something, but nothing came out. She settled for staring angrily at the Turk.

"Don't give me that look," the woman said, cocking the gun. "I didn't want this any more than you would have-"

"But you're doing it!" Cloud yelled. "You killed your friend! He did nothing but care for you!" When he took a step forward to lunge at her. Zack grabbed him under the armpits with one hand, holding the Buster with the other. "Why?"

"Because," she pointed the barrel at Cloud, who went limp, "my sister is more important. More important than the Planet, more important than AVALANCHE, more important-" she choked.

"More important than Biggs, who would have - no,  _gave_  - his life to you? He would have kissed the ground you walked on if you'd only said so!" Tifa blurted, pointing her finger at Biggs's body. It was already going cold.

The gun shook. "No." She bit her lip, compulsively smoothing her blue suit.

"Yes," Cloud muttered, his hands touching Zack's. His hands slithered around Zack's bicep, nails biting into his skin. "He had a sister too, but he never would have betrayed you."

She closed her eyes, a small tear leaking onto her cold blue suit. "Start walking up the stairs, terrorists..." She cringed at the words.

"You were the last person I expected to do this," Zack admitted. He walked with Cloud.

"Me too," Jessie answered.

* * *


	7. Remember One: Mansion of Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember -- Interludes of Memories  
> Recollection -- Interludes for Supporting Characters (Elmyra/Etc.)  
> Rebirth -- Interludes for the Antagonists (Shinra members/Baddies)  
> Reverse -- Interludes for the Protagonists (FFVII team members--Tifa/Aeris/Vincent/etc.)

# Remember One: Mansion of Despair

The chains of the world were unsettling, binding tighter than any rope. It was a weight that crippled, forcing people to their knees, screaming in utter agony. Their blood washed against the ground, cascading in waves of desperation, begging for a tinge, a morsel, of pity. Their fingers grasped for nothing- for everything. Their nails dug into whatever they could reach.

Bones littered the ground: The skulls of children piked on sticks, morbid guards placed to watch over the deceased. Rivers of boiled and steaming flesh flew into the horizon behind the Children of Dissolution, reminding all that this world of death and dissection was nothing more than the most terrible horrors of the land.

Trees hung in the red tinged light, decaying corpses dangling from the branches, their fingers still fighting to loosen the noose. Even though their fingers were merely bones and their necks were ravaged by the flies zooming around their heads like vultures would their prey, they fought for freedom. Freedom from a world where the water turned to corroding acid in their mouths, where feelings of anything other than pain were excluded and hidden deep below the surface of their sickly skin. Freedom from a place where everything turned to maggots spreading plagues before their noses, in their throats; small fetuses digging their way out of their mother's stomachs with their teeth; intestines spewed across the wastelands. Freedom to scream as animals ripped limbs off men; needles buried in the crust of the earth and snapping off into unsuspecting feet trudging forward to escape from the bitter end.

Yet in the very center she stood clad in her white lab coat, ignorant of the screams of the children dying next to her feet, the monster mutilating a wife as the husband looked on. She watched his throat being slashed by the man with a scalpel, sharp and sure, tracing patterns into his skin with delight. Ignorant, but beautiful, smiling lightly as her hand caressed her protruding belly; a dog snapping its mouth shut against a hand of an infant, groping for the woman's skirt. She looked forward, smiling wider.

She reached out one hand in a comforting gesture, making the motion to come forward, to step over the horror and into the light. The skin of her hand was smooth, flawless, the color of milk.

And he reached for her. Walking forward, unable to see anything but the radiance of her smile, the caressing hand on her stomach, the smooth ripple of life in her deep eyes, he passed by the hordes of guns and puddles of blood, the rain of acid and the blowing stench of napalm and feces. He couldn't look away from her smiling form, not to notice his feet smashing into a skull with brown hair and the sound of snapping vertebrae. His fingers, so large compared to her own, met. He reached up, touching her hair, feeling the texture of the smooth tresses of deep brown and then…

It would scream, a long and piercing and chilling to the bone scream that shattered the cold silence. He would look down; his shoes stained with blood, her hand still caressing her stomach, though a hand of razors stuck out from her belly, blood coating her once white coat. She would take one of his hands and murmur, placing it on her stomach, letting him feel the bones snap inside of her, the claw shredding her stomach, the blood coating both their fingers with warm liquid. The smile didn't even fade from her lips.

As the monster with white hands dug itself out, she moved one hand to touch his face. Maroon stained the lips she traced with the tip of her index finger. The taste of copper entered his mouth. He cringed. Smooth as death, sharp as nails.

It fell to the ground between their feet and she would let go of the man, bending down to collect her child. It writhed and squirmed away, sucking on its blood-coated fingers as an infant would suck on their mother's breast. It crawled into a puddle of urine, bathing in the stink, its tongue still lapping away the last traces of blood.

She fell to her knees, reaching out for the monster, begging it to come forward, to drink the flowing milk of her breast. To not be afraid.

The tidal wave of destruction would sweep in at that moment, pulling the blood away. The hanged people would disappear and the trees would evaporate into nothing. The red sky would degrade into twisting serpentine tornadoes, clashing against one another, lifting the monsters and the screaming men. The Children of Dissolution would be sucked off their pikes, heading up, up, up into the black clouds.

He saw its eyes - bright green eyes - filled with disparity before they were flushed out of existence.

She laid on the floor, gasping for breath, blood seeping out like the River of Time. She screamed, flailing for the child, the monster, the infant, the death of life.

"I never even got to hold him. Not once."

* * *

His eyes flew open to meet the cold surface of rotting satin. The dream never changed. It continued on and on, the same smells, same feelings corrupting him. The fire in his heart died long before and the screams subsided.

Her face, flawless, burned his eyes. He shut them again. To dream was all he had left, to contain the ache, to relive the horror only to be met with the red satin lining when he awoke. The same scene would replay again.

And again.

And again.

It was a punishment, atonement for sins unpaid.

Freedom was lost within the depths of the Mansion of Despair. 

* * *


	8. Betray

# Chapter Six: Betray

 

"So how long've you been screwing us over?" Tifa asked, the bitterness of her voice melting into the air. They were getting closer to the top of the structure. Noise from above was ear-splitting and Tifa nearly had to scream her question over the commotion.

Jessie answered in the same cold tone she had used when the three AVALANCHE members crossed her path. "For about six months, give or take."

Zack kept walking, mind zooming with thoughts. The first attack on Shinra, the Sector One Mako Reactor... how?

"Why didn't you know the code to get us out if you were already with Shinra?" Cloud asked before Zack was given the chance. "Why would Shinra waste so much money on making you a Turk if they planned on you dying?"

"Because the boss wanted to test me, to see if I was worthy of staying. I needed to pass his test," she answered half-heartedly.

It didn't take more than a moment to understand exactly who Jessie had called 'boss.'

"Whoa, wait a second - are you saying Tseng let Reno teach you? He's the only person who could possibly think of something as absolutely stupid as that." She lifted her gun again and Zack held up his hands. He'd been forced to sheath his Buster earlier. "Yeah, yeah, got it. No more talking." He hesitated putting his hands back down, wondering if she would notice if his fingers wavered for just a moment; if she would notice if he reached down for the hilt of his sword; if she would notice if he pulled the weapon out and shoved it through her pretty new blue suit…

"Don't even think about it. Put your hands down and keep walking. I'm not sure if Boss has put a timer on the structure or what." Jessie made a small sound as she tucked the gun away.

Zack looked down between his feet through the weathered steel. Even with his perfect vision the people near the base of the stairway were pinpricks.  _Indescribable blobs of nothing_ , Zack thought. It reminded him of the small air bubbles in the mako tank, drowning him and keeping him alive even when he wanted nothing more than to die. It was worse when Cloud screamed because he knew his friend was feet away and he could do nothing.

Those small people at the bottom knew they could do nothing.

* * *

Barret was bleeding from his head, lying lifeless on the ground near the stairway. It was superficial but the blood flowed freely. His eyes were closed and Zack wondered how long he had been unconscious and how long it would take for him to wake.

"Yeah, he's been out for 'bout five minutes. Can't say I'm not glad. Was givin' me a headache with all of his 'AVALANCHE is amazin' an' 'I'm gunna put a bullet in yur ass you motha fucka' business. I think he's a bit more annoyin' than me, don't you think?" Reno said, pulling the tell-tale cigarette from his mouth, throwing it over the side of the structure. He jerked his head to the side. "Hope that doesn't land on someone's head." He was sitting on the metal grates, feet hanging over the side.

"But that won't matter in a minute." Jessie looked at the center beam. "Have you set it?"

The red-head tossed his head. "Nuh-uh, I'm tired an' don't wanna deal with none of this. There's a big bottle of vodka waitin' for me at home and there's nothing I wanna do more than get this shit done and get on over there. Need ta get laid too, but that ain't new, now is it Zack?"

Zack looked over to Cloud, then Tifa. "Seems just like you. Now, I think there might be some type of mistake. See, Jessie here," Zack looked at the woman then back to the older Turk, "wanted us up here and I really don't know  _why_. If you could get this straightened out maybe we can come to some kind of resolution that doesn't deal with dropping the plate and killing about  _half a million people_. How 'bout that?"

Reno pulled himself up with one hand, the other reaching for his electrical magnetic rod. "No can do. Normally I'd be fine with it, but not today. Got a new recruit, a freshie. Can't be showin' her that we Turks aren't as hardass as it said in the job application." He ruffled his hair mechanically. "So, we can't be takin' no turns and makin' anything easy, like lettin' ya go…"

"Well, thanks for nothing!"

"Aw, pup, don' give me that. You know I don't like doin' this to ya, but an order's an order. Tseng gave it to me an' you know I can't get into no more trouble. Don't wanna lose my job. Takes away the perks-"

"What, killing, raping, stealing?" Tifa exclaimed.

Reno snorted. "Sure, killin' and stealin', but I'm too damn sexy to need to rape anyone. Me, a rapist? Not right, girl, not right at all."

Cloud glanced at Reno and shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past you."

Reno's green eyes narrowed and he spat onto the ground. "Well, why don't you ask your buddy here if he considered it rape."

Zack winced and shriveled his nose in distaste. "Shut up."

"What's he talking about, Zack?"

"Whad'ya think I'm talking 'bout, Blondie?"

"Don't tell him to shut up, you stupid Turk!"

"Can we just finish our assignment and get out of here?"

A loud screech silenced them.

"What in Gaia's name…?" Zack questioned, looking around, searching for where the sound was coming from. Cloud covered his ears and Tifa ran over to Barret to wake him.

"We better take care of this now and fast," Jessie said. She pulled out her silver gun and took aim at Cloud. In a blink, the ex-SOLDIER whizzed past the woman, his weapon at the ready. With his body between the blond and the two Turks, Zack took a moment to look around.

Reno snorted. "Ooh, bad choice, babe. I thought we were all gunna get out of here without a scratch, but you just had to go and fuck that up for me! Can't you just come quietly? I'll make sure your cell has porn and I'll visit you often." The red-haired Turk tapped his EMR against his dirty blue pants. The smirk apparent on his face made Zack queasy.

"Sorry, there's no room when you're locked in a tube," he spat. He lunged at the Turk, Buster Sword sending the gun in Jessie's hand spiraling away.

"Well, it's good to know you've still got it," Reno cried, jumping into the air, avoiding the other Turk as she dived for her gun.

"Got it? Please! I never lost it," Zack retorted, readying the next attack.

Reno never had been a hard opponent physically, but he sure was fast, zipping and spinning, weaving between Zack and Cloud's swords and Tifa's fists. Zack hadn't felt so exhilarated since his last fight with Sephiroth. Granted, that hadn't gone too well but it gave him the same feeling of pure excitement. He didn't even fear for his life - Reno wouldn't kill him.

The real worry was that Jessie  _would;_  but with her gun sitting at the bottom of the pillar it didn't seem likely. Evidently Shinra had gotten lazy with their newest members, not properly teaching them hand-to-hand combat.

Zack avoided a sly smack to the face from Reno's EMR, rolling across the floor. He lifted his Buster Sword in time to reflect another hit, giving Cloud an opening to slash at the red-head.

A few feet away Tifa laid another blow to Jessie. The latter could do little but attempt to block each angry fist or kick to the stomach. There was already blood congealing on the floor around the two. Jessie gave a weak whimper as she was hit in the face with the other woman's steel-toed boot.

"You bitch!" Tifa yelled, jabbing the Turk in the stomach with her elbow.

"Don't kill her!" Cloud yelled over the commotion, pulling out a small green orb from the hilt of his katana. He concentrated for a moment and a green steam arose around Jessie. "There. She's asleep."

Zack was having a little more trouble.

"Can't you just give up?" Reno asked, dodging a swing from the Buster Sword.

Zack replied with another slash.

* * *

It was a cheap shot and only incapacitated him for a moment, but it was long enough to knock Zack across the floor and keep him there while Reno pressed a big red button.

"Well, looks like we're outta time, folks." Reno smirked. "It'll go off if any pin-head touches it, so I think it would be best for us to get outta here. Ready, Jessie?"

She was still covered in blood and looked as though she was about to fall onto her face. None of that mattered to Zack when the helicopter came up from behind her with Tseng standing at the opening. The machine was within jumping distance, the space decreasing by the second until it was almost against the railing.

"Yeah, I'm ready... Just need-" she lunged at Cloud, sending his weapon skidding across the floor, "this brat."

Zack jerked his head to the side, eyes widening. "That's why you wanted us to come up here? So you could get me and Cloud?"

Reno scuffed his shoe on the ground, tossing a gun that Zack hadn't even noticed to Jessie. "Only partially right. Sad to disappoint but you ain't coming with us. The Prez doesn't want you."

Jessie had the gun aimed at Cloud's temple; even with her eyes crazed and browning blood coming in cascades from her nostrils she looked foreboding. "Come on, move it," she whispered to Cloud, her blood dripping into the blond's already dirty hair.

"Fuck that!" Zack dropped his Buster Sword in rage and decided that yes, he would feel much better if he could wrap his fingers around her throat and squeeze.

A gun going off was the last thing the ex-SOLDIER expected. The blood bloomed from his shoulder and he dropped to his knees, groaning in pain. Tifa and Cloud yelled and Barret twitched in his sleep, his eyes blearily opening. When Zack gritted his teeth and reached for the bullet wound he was met with another surprise. The gun in Jessie's hand was still pointed at Cloud's skull.

"Didn't want ta do that but you didn't leave me much of a choice, babe," Reno said solemnly. The wounded ex-SOLDIER turned around to see a glistening gun shining in the red-head's palm, one finger still on the trigger. "Jessie!" he barked, pointing the barrel of the gun to the helicopter. "Get the kid on the copter, now."

The other Turk began pulling Cloud backward, grabbing hold of the side rail and yanking them both in. Tseng nodded at her.

Zack restrained himself from screaming.

Reno pocketed the gun, walking closer to Zack until the black-haired man could smell the perspiration and stale booze on his breath. The red-head leaned down near his ear and whispered, "I didn't, did I? We had fun wit' your pretty ass in the air. Just remember that; I fucked you," Reno huskily whispered in his ear, trailing his fingertips down to the bullet hole, plunging his fingers in. Zack groaned in pain. "An' you loved it."

Zack turned himself away, the warm breath still on his face.

"Naw, didn't expect so. Maybe you'll play hero with blondie and the girl?" Reno laid two of his fingers on the bleeding wound for a moment before pulling them away and straightening.

"'The girl?'" Zack asked, giving the Turk a confused look. His shoulder was on fire, but that wasn't the only thing that Zack had to worry about. "What gi-"

_She smiled at him wearily. "Oh, I'm just 'the girl' they've been chasing around. I would rather them leave me be, but... it could be worse. Tseng's not so bad."_

Reno put his blood-soaked fingers to his lips, suckling like a newborn. "Mmm, the same," he answered after a moment before climbing into the helicopter, whispering a few words to Tseng as he passed. "Oh." He turned and yelled, "We'll treat chocobo-head here like a part of the family." Reno laughed, attaching his EMR to his leather belt.

"Same goes for our other guest," Tseng added, moving slightly so Zack could see Aeris laying on the ground, her hands bound in front of her with a few tears falling from her eyes.

Tifa screamed the woman's name and tried to make her legs work, but she was just as glued to the ground as Zack. Barret stirred, beginning to regain consciousness.

Aeris's voice was slightly hoarse when she yelled, "She's safe, don't worry-" and that was all they heard before Tseng stepped in front of her, muffling the sounds.

Zack noticed that she smacked her bound fists into the man's leg, attempting to trip him, and he turned with a vengeance. His open hand collided with her face, sending her head swinging, green eyes widening. When he turned to Zack and the others again he said, "I suggest you don't attempt a rescue either. But.. which you would choose? Hmm?"

With those last words, Tseng gave a small, withering smirk, reaching over and slamming the helicopter door shut.

"Shi'!" Barret yelled, firing at the retreating helicopter, a few small droplets of spittle flying out of his mouth as fast as the bullets were leaving his grafted arm.

"Quit shooting at them! You're going to hurt Aeris and Cloud!" Tifa banged her arms heavily against the black man, attempting to make his gun-arm drop.

"Fuck em-"

Zack did not allow the man to finish his sentence, standing up, ignoring the pain, and grabbing him by the throat. "No, fuck  _you_ ," he began, putting enormous pressure on Barret's jugular. "They're the only damn things I have, so you put that  _fucking_  gun on lock or I swear I'll..." Zack took a deep breath in and released the man, looking over at the helicopter gliding away, the machine barely noticeable within the deep clouds of smoke and ash.

"You do what? Hurt me? It don' matter. She's gone." Barret shot a few more times at the quickly disappearing helicopter. " _Gone_!"

It was Tifa who dealt the next blow. "Not now! We have to get out of here before it falls-" her statement was accentuated by the structure giving a large moan as the steel began to twist.

Zack took one last look over where the helicopter had taken off. Nothing was visible, not even when he looked down between his feet. From the corner of his eyes he spotted two weapons even through the dense smoke was clotting his lungs. Ignoring his stinging throat and the blood pouring from his gunshot wound, Zack grabbed both quickly, sheathing his own and holding Cloud's katana before rounding on Barret, holding the sword out threateningly. "Well, Bossman, you've got two second to pull yourself together while I find a way out of here."

Barret grumbled something, switching the safety on his gun.

"Good boy." Zack jerked his head to the side, barely noticing how his teeth were clenched painfully or how his hand was shaking slightly. His eyes darted around, seeking an escape route. Something to get them into another Sector as quickly as possible-

"Found it!" He ran over to a large hook connected to the upper plate swinging back and forth a few feet away. Zack jumped onto the railing, pulling at the object with one hand, making sure the thing would be able to hold enough weight. It did, and with Cloud's sword he motioned towards the others. "Hurry it up! We've only got a few more seconds."

Tifa looked around, her face communicating her emotions.

Zack shook his head. "We've gotta save ourselves. There's nothing we can do."

Not a second later, as the plate began to give its final heave, Zack had his thighs wrapped around the hook while Tifa was sitting on his lap and Barret held onto the metal wire. They were swept away with the dust by the last breath of Sector Seven. Something rang in Zack's head, loud and screeching, dying.

Seraphina screamed as everything collapsed.

Her white wings turned to dust.

* * *

They were in Sector Six's park with a few other refugees, mainly children from the distorted rubble of Sector Seven. A young girl near the flaming-hot entrance of Sector Seven was screaming, beating her hands against the ground. Nearby, three children covered in grime and dust cried together. By the slide, a pregnant woman sat, cradling her stomach in her hands. A few minor scratches were on her face though her hands were stained in blood.

Tifa sank to her knees, her sobs intertwining with the children's. "W-Why?" she cried, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. Barret went to his knees beside her, mumbling, "Marlene," under his breath.

Something clicked in Zack's head as he surveyed the damage. "She said ' _Don't worry, she's okay,'_ " he said pointedly.

Tifa's puffy eyes looked up into violet ones. "Marlene."

Zack nodded. "Yeah, I think she's alright."

Barret leaned against Tifa. Zack noted the tear tracks through his grimy face, inching down toward his beard. "She's awright?" he said, disbelieving. Then, "She's awright, she's awright," he repeated over and over again.

Zack drew himself away, surveying the crying children in the corner. The pregnant woman, who really couldn't be considered a woman but perhaps a teenager, was staring at the children too. Zack put on a small smile and walked over.

The girl drew back, brown eyes large. "Y-Yes?" she squeaked, one hand protectively covering her stomach. Zack noticed the fear she was radiating, mainly as her eyes encountered his own, mako shining ones and when she saw both twinkling swords covered in drying blood.

The ex-SOLDIER got onto one of his knees carefully and slowly so as not to scare the teenager. He also put Cloud's sword on the ground, pointed away from the girl. She noticed and visibly relaxed.

"Hi." Zack gave a sheepish smile. "I'm Zack. You alright?"

She rubbed her bloody hands on her dirty shirt, looking toward the children. "I'm fine," her tired voice stated.

"Well, that's good. What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

The blood smeared against her greenish grey shirt, not making her hands any cleaner. "Ana."

Zack gave another encouraging smile. "Well, Ana, I saw that you were looking over at those kids. Do you know any of them?"

She shook her head 'no.' Her hair fell into her eyes when she said, "No, I don't."

"Well, do you think you can help me get them together?"

Ana's head shot up, eyes wide with puzzlement. "Why?" she asked suspiciously.

The child near the hot entrance tried grabbing the steel debris and digging her way back in, but only burned her hands in the process. Tifa noticed this and sent a wave of green washing over the girl. Barret was still staring at the ground, mumbling.

"I actually need your help," the ex-SOLDIER started, looking at the screaming and wailing children. Not all had made it and a few bodies, unmoving, stared up with glassy eyes, searching for the sky. It was the valley of dolls, of small corpses. "I know someone, a nice lady, who I think will be able to help. It's just, I need to talk to her and she doesn't like me that much."  _I have a feeling that if I bring you with me she might not exactly want to lay me down on the table and stab me with dinner knives,_ Zack omitted, fearing it wouldn't be the best thing to say at that very moment.

Ana looked at the sobbing children and nodded. "I-I understand. But did you see the woman who helped me here? I want to thank her."

Zack looked for a woman, a living woman, but saw none. "I, uh, don't think she's here. Not anymore at least. Maybe she went somewhere?" He shrugged and gave another soft smile. "But you'll come with me, right?"

"Uh, sure." Ana rubbed her stomach again and got up, wobbling.

"Good to know."

* * *

It was a fool-proof idea. Zack already knew where Cloud and Aeris had been taken, but he knew there was no way of understanding  _why_ , or getting Tifa and Barret to come with him for that matter, if he didn't speak to Elmyra. The woman loathed him but he needed to tell her about Aeris's kidnapping. With half a dozen children (all that the young, pregnant Ana could get to follow her; the others had refused to believe their families were gone) flanking the members of AVALANCHE, Zack felt more protected against Elmyra's fury.

Zack knew Elmyra wouldn't refuse the children. Aeris had been an orphan, the ex-SOLDIER knew as much, but there had been time and time again where she would mention her mother taking in a child until they were ready to go in search of their family which sometimes meant leaving Midgar for good. There was no issue with money as Shinra constantly sent her checks for her husband's previous military service. As far as Zack figured there was no reason for Elmyra to deny the children.

They traveled through Sector Six. Zack, Tifa and Barret cleared the way for the small children.

Through the entire walk Zack couldn't think of anything but Cloud. Why had the Turks taken him? He had, too, been experimented on. There was no visible explanation as to  _why_  Reno had specific orders to only take one when he could have clearly taken both. Bits of memories reminded the black-haired man that it wasn't Cloud who was the 'good' experiment, as Hojo had put it. Why would they want the failure? Shouldn't that have been enough to keep them away, give them a reason to chase after Zack instead?

It made no sense. It merely added to the confusion of his mind and it had been far too cluttered up there to being with.

After an hour or so, his was body numb, though he still carried Cloud's sword in one hand. Tifa called a break so a few of the children could sit as she and some of the older girls went in search for water. In a huff, Zack threw himself to the ground, impaling the dry earth with his sword. Barret grunted, "Show off," but dropped his own bulking weight beside the ex-SOLDIER. They sat there in silence, Zack cleaning the Buster Sword with the hem of his shirt while a few small boys looked admiringly at the weapon.

"So," Barret skimmed his gaze over the Buster Sword, two coal eyes searching the designs, "where'd ya get that? It ain't no normal sword. Noticed that the momen' I saw it."

Zack rubbed harder at the sword, the blood coming off like chips of dried paint, flicking onto his lap. "I got it from an old friend of mine. He, uh, he was a SOLDIER First Class like me. Angeal." Memories rose from Zack's mind: fighting, screams, a mother lying dead, betrayal as thick as the concrete pillar that had once held Sector Seven's plate. He had trusted Angeal, thought of the man as a friend, and everything had fallen to ashes. Even now he still loved the man like a brother.

That was the way many things seemed to go. They just fell apart at the seams, the ribbon frayed, cloth unfurling.

Barret snorted. "You and SOLDIERs. Don't understand why there's so damn many of ya. I mean, who wants ta be a SOLDIER wit' all them Shinra? Shinra's the scum of Gaia. No way in Gaia I'd wanna be parta that!"

Zack shrugged. "A lot of people do, if you want the truth. I wasn't exactly in SOLDIER to be a Shinra. I was in SOLDIER to be a hero. We did a lot of good things back then. I still think they do some good, too."

"Well, what happened to this Angeal punk?"

"He died." One drop of dried blood refused to come off. Zack scrubbed harder.

Barret scratched at his chin. "Uh, sorry," the burly man said, "but you haven't mentioned who made that sword. Had to have been someone big."

Zack nodded. "His father made this, said that it was the pride of the family. Couldn't blame him either. It's beautiful, don't ya think?" Zack swung the blade into the light, the dim rays bouncing off in an array of colors. After a moment, he put the sword back down into his lap. "Did Tifa tell you?"

Barret made a peculiar sound, much like a growl. "'Bout Jessie?"

Zack coughed into his hand. "Uh yeah, 'bout that."

"Never thought she'd be the one to do it," the older man explained, looking over at the children. "I met her a while back, knew that she was a good girl. Loved her family, loved AVALANCHE, loved the Planet. Her papa died when she was younger 'cause of the Shinra an' ever since she hated 'em. She was one of the first people in AVALANCHE I met after I was inducted."

Zack gave the man a confused look; Barret hadn't been the founder? "I thought you were the one to come up with AVALANCHE. I was around when you guys first started, mainly little things. Never thought it was anyone but you. Back then, I was a SOLDIER Third and didn't get all the info."

Barret shook his head. "Naw, wasn't the one to come up with it," he stopped speaking for a moment before continuing, "wish I did though. Still, Jessie a traitor. Can't believe it. Makes me sick." To prove it, Barret spat into the brown dirt. "So, how's your shoulder? Gettin' shot ain't fun."

It hadn't bothered him for a while, Zack thought after a moment, feeling at his shoulder. The shirt was frayed at the edges where the bullet went in, but there was no pain. It wasn't right.

"Doesn't hurt," Zack muttered, tugging at the neck, looking over to his shoulder. When he saw nothing the ex-SOLDIER poked his finger into the hole, making Barret wince with the thought. "Hmm, it doesn't seem like it's there."

"Huh, Spiky? Bullet holes jus' don't disappear. You sure?"

To prove the point, Zack tore the shirt at the shoulder and showed the older man. "It isn't there. Doesn't even have a scar." He prodded at the unblemished skin in confusion. "It's the mako." The mako was always good at getting rid of wounds, but from what Zack remembered of it, bullet wounds still needed to leave the body. Still, it wasn't worth the extra thought. Not right now, anyway.

"Well, Spiky, you're fuckin' weird. You know that, right?"

Zack rolled his violet eyes. "Kinda figured that out. Bossman, weirder shit's happened."

* * *

Elmyra still had that sour look upon her face but at least she wasn't yelling. Even with her eyes red and puffy, much like Tifa's, a box of tissues wadded up on the kitchen table, the woman still was able to get the children to sleep upstairs, pulling out extra blankets from seemingly nowhere.

Marlene was situated on Barret's lap eating a few cookies, a milk mustache adorning her upper lip. The gruff man smiled repeatedly as the little girl hummed her tune, occasionally looking up to stare contemplatively at Zack.

"So, did the nice flower lady say anything about me, munchkin?"

The little girl giggled. "I'm not a munchkin," she said, "and she did. I think she likes you. Do you think she likes you back?"

Zack laughed, stealing a cookie from her plate. "Well, munchkin," he stared, annunciating the words, "I think she does."

Elmyra slammed her fist into the table. "Well, of course she does." The woman took a deep breath in, a few tears slipping from her weary eyes. "That's why I'm not going to fight with you."

"Miss Elmyra," Zack started, but the woman raised her hand.

"I know they took her. They took her from here, actually. She said something about protecting this little girl."

Marlene looked up and smiled at the acknowledgement. "The man was nice. He said he hoped that when he has a little girl that she would be as cute as me." Marlene blushed, playing with the hem of her sunshine yellow dress.

Zack looked back to Elmyra.

Barret voiced the next question. "But why'd they want that girl? She didn't look like Shinra material ta me."

"She isn't," the woman stated, sitting down in the chair next to the tissue box. "They want her because of her blood. Aeris is a very special type of person – the last of the Ancients. Her real mother passed on about seventeen years ago... I took her in. My husband had gone off to war and it was so empty here.

"The first thing I noticed was how the flowers suddenly began to bloom -– they don't do it anywhere else in Midgar. Then I noticed how she was always talking of odd things, things no little girl could think of. It was odd. Then,  _he_  began to visit. Dressed in his blue suit, a Turk. Aeris thought he was nice at first, but when he told her what she was and how he wanted to bring her back to Shinra, Aeris didn't think so fondly of him anymore. I knew he let her go often, him and the red-haired one, but I wasn't sure how long it would last. Today her luck ran out."

Elmyra looked over to Zack, her eyes pleading. "Please, she trusts you. I know you can find her. You and these people and the blond boy… Cloud, was it?" She looked around before covering her mouth. "Oh, I see. She said something about them going after him, too." Her wrinkled hand reached over and grabbed Zack's. "I know you will save them, both of them. Will you not go?"

"Of course."

* * *

"I think we should stay a little longer." Tifa took another sip from her tea cup, draining the last of the drink before placing back down onto the flowered surface of the saucer. The woman adjusted her checkered button-up, Zack noticed dully, for the seventh time.

"You said we'd be goin' twen'y minutes 'go," Barret said, looking down at the small girl in his lap. The ex-SOLDIER could see the adamant dislike of the idea of leave Marlene but... Cloud and Aeris could be withstanding torture..

"I've made up my mind," Zack interrupted the looks passing between the two AVALANCHE members. "I'm going to go save them. It would be easier with you guys but you don't seem ready for anything." Zack stood up, pulling the Buster Sword onto his back, placing Cloud's bed-sheet wrapped katana onto his back next to his own sword.

"What you talkin' 'bout?" Barret's eyes narrowed. "Chocobo-head an' that girl saved Marlene. I ain't gunna let them be in da Shinra's hands for too long. Plus, he knows too much 'bout AVALANCHE." The black man took the small child from his lap, kissing her with surprising gentleness on the top of her head.

"And you know I can't leave Cloud. He still needs to keep his promise." Tifa got up from her chair, pulling the gloves from her pockets and slipping the calloused fingers into the cut-off leather.

Zack looked towards the stairs where Elmyra sat on the bottom step, the crow's feet around her eyes more pronounced than ever. Gray strands sprouted from her bun of brown hair.

"You're leaving now?" she asked, putting her fingers together. Her eyes drooped down to the floor, tracing the floorboards.

"Yes, ma'am."

"I always knew something like this would happen with Aeris. She was so young, so sweet and innocent, then you came along and changed everything she knew. I hope you don't hurt her because I won't be able to control myself if you do. She's my daughter in everything but blood."

Zack looked down at the wooden floor, rubbing the sole of his shoe against the floor. There was nothing left to say, he noticed from the quietness of the house, even though it sheltered a dozen people. "I... thank–"

"No 'thank you''s. You can thank me when you come back with my daughter."

* * *

Sector Six didn't look much different except for an over-abundance of flyers, some crumpled and covered with muck laying in trash cans and littering the ground. Normally this wouldn't catch Zack's eyes but the picture splayed across the front, the black and gray picture, was one that haunted his vision.

The words  **"Have you seen this person?"** were printed bright across the top of the picture while a pixilated version of Cloud's face, make-up adorned and in the blonde wig.

"What on Gaia... ?" He knelt down, picking a flyer off the ground, shaking it before looking over it.

Tifa had also picked up a flyer. "Looks like you've gotten yourself into a lot of trouble, Cloud." She began to recite, "'This person, the Sector Six Police believe, is the culprit or accessory who brutally murdered thirteen guards at the Corneo mansion. If you know anything of this woman or her companions, please come to the Corneo mansion. If your information helps aid and capture this woman, a reward of five thousand gil will be given.'"

Zack turned pale. "But Cloud didn't kill anyone," he said slowly, "there was no possible way. I was with you and Aeris, so who-"

_A man stood behind him, his hands on his hips, a cigarette dangling from his mouth._

"Reno," the name came out in a whisper. Of course it had been Reno, cool and confident Reno. There was no one else who would have been able to commit such a murder, so many murders, in such a small frame of time without leaving any evidence. The only thing they had was a single picture of Cloud in drag and he wouldn't know anything. But…

"This shows that the Sector police don't have a clue who Cloud is or what importance he has with Shinra."

"Wait, that's Chocobo-head?" Barret exclaimed, snatching the flyer from Tifa's gloved hands. "That ain't right. That looks too much like a chick, if you get my meanin'. Ain't cool ta have such a spiky-assed bastard playin' dress up."

This was  _not_  going to turn out to be a pleasant conversation with Cloud later, but there was no time. Zack had promised many things, but in comparison, breaking this promise was no big deal. "Let's not get into that right now, but that's how we got Tifa away from Corneo." Zack rubbed his head before folding up the slightly dirty paper and placing it into the pocket of his pants.

"But then why is his face everywhere? I know it couldn't have possibly been Cloud. After all, he was… rather tied up at that moment," Tifa carefully added, skirting around speaking of Cloud's 'win.'

Zack looked down to the ground and regarded the brown-stained paper stained, Cloud's androgynous face splayed across the paper, his eyes seeming to pierce right through Zack's. The haunted look in his eyes shone even in the picture, shown by the different pigments and shades of grays and blacks. It sent a chill into the deepest core of his heart.

A question suddenly popped into the ex-SOLDIER's mind and he vocalized it before he could even think it through. "Why is there a picture? How were they even able to get one?"

Tifa answered quickly, lightly scratching at her nose. "They took that when Corneo, you know. Yeah, to add it into his book. I guess that's how they managed to get a hold of it. Even if it is them."

Barret gave a grunt. "What you talkin' 'bout? Course it's police."

There was a moment of silence that passed through each of the group members while paper skidded along the ground, dirtying and ripping.

"Because," Zack started slowly, "Shinra owns the police. That and everything else under the plate except for the hookers and drug dealers. Sometimes I even wonder about them too. There's a good chance that the police haven't even been informed of these murders and Shinra is trying to take care of them. Corneo is a Shinra man, even if that won't be for much longer."

Barret accepted this after throwing a few coarse words around. "Not even able ta trust your own damn police." He kicked a glass bottle into the street, the liquid inside seeping out, creating a puddle of warm alcohol.

"It isn't like you trusted them in the first place, Barret," Tifa pointed out.

He refused to acknowledge her words.

A few children rushed by and one knocked into Tifa, sending her spiraling to the ground. Zack saw the boy who had rushed by look back, yell a quick 'sorry' – a rarity for any slum child – and then continue on in the direction of the Corneo mansion.

* * *

It was Zack's idea to follow them. The fact they had been speaking of a rope to each other and how they were able to access the upper plate if they managed to get through, had piqued his interest. The ex-SOLDIER had no reason to forgo checking it out. There was a chance he would be able to get to the Upper Plate if it was true.

"Why we followin' after a bunch o' punks? Ain't no way they can get up to the plate. Ain't no way," Barret growled.

Zack refused to accept it.

There was a moment where the black-haired man could do nothing but mumble under his breath, but once they had seen it, the "Golden, Shiny Wire of Hope" as Barret had put it, there was no doubt in anyone's mind.

"But you said you didn't believe it," Zack stated in annoyance.

"Well, you did'n' convince me." Barret nodded, locking his gun arm into safety. "'Anyway, we betta get goin'. There ain't gunna be much time ta save the girl an' Chocobo-head if we keep wastin' time."

After a moment of contemplation and after listening to the girl near the wire complain that they couldn't get much further without batteries of some sort, Zack decided that there was no other way but to go find some damn batteries.

Zack nodded his head to the girl's whining and sent Tifa and Barret a look. "Well, why don't you keep talking to Tifa here," he gave out a laugh, pushing the woman toward the girl as he inched slowly away, "and I'm gunna, I'm gunna go now." He added another small laugh before he ran back, snickering at the hopeless look on Tifa's face and the absolutely stunned one on Barret's.

Oh, it would only take a few minutes at the most, but those few minutes would be plenty worth it after being far enough away from the two to breathe and think out a proper plan. They weren't bad people, perhaps a little screw-brained in the terms of Barret and too motherly for Tifa, but they were not hateful people - well, except for their dislike of Shinra. But Barret... Barret could not be silent even if his life depended on it.

"Batteries," Zack mumbled out loud, his mind running through various plots and plans to break into the Shinra Headquarters. There was no doubt in his mind that there would be a severe payment if they just cruised in via the front door, like Barret was sure to suggest, but what other option did they have? The Shinra didn't have any trap doors or elevator shafts from the outside, only a rickety set of shit stairs...

"Stairs." Zack took a deep breath before opening the door to the weapon shop. The man inside had been collecting pieces of junk since Zack had first entered Midgar.

"What do ya need?" the man behind the chain-link fence asked over the sound of whining machinery.

"Batteries." Zack pulled out his wallet, looking up at the man. "How much?"

The man pondered the thought for a moment before pulling out a large case of batteries. "Well, I've fixed all of these, so they're all good to go. How 'bout a hundred each?"

The ex-SOLDIER snorted. "You're trying to sell me a bunch of junk?"

"Naw, I fixed them, so they're fine."

"But one hundred each? Are you insane?"

The man leaned over and looked out at Zack. "Isn't like we get much business. How 'bout a hundred for a couple of them? That work?"

* * *

"Where are we?" Tifa asked, wiping her brow.

Zack looked around, letting his eyes adjust to the lack of light from the street lamps. The small hole they'd managed to crawl up from was where Sector Seven's support plate had fallen into the abyss. It had led them straight into Sector One's expansive space. The sign above the hole was shining, blinking neon green.

"Sector One, outside a rather popular Shinra bar." Zack scratched at his head, looking around in a confused manner. The plate had been above Sector Seven, but how exactly did they manage to get into Sector One?

"Well, how did we get here?"

There was no answer, so Zack merely shrugged his shoulder. "Eh, doesn't matter much anyway. We better go. I know we can get to the Headquarters by taking a left up here, then riding the train to Sector Four, but there isn't any way we can do that now that we're wanted criminals. Well, more wanted than before." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his dirty pants and started moving. "Well, you coming or what?" he tossed over his shoulder.

Tifa ran forward, grabbing Zack's arm, "Wait, where are you taking us?"

Zack took one hand out and patted her mindlessly on the head. "Well, there's a way of getting to Head Quarters that isn't really that well known. I was planning on going there now. You know, to save Cloud and Aeris? Those two people who got kidnapped?" His voice was filled with sarcasm, dripping onto the ground in thick clumps.

Tifa let go, her wide brown eyes turning to slits, staring. Zack felt her eyes tunnel straight through him, down into the deepest part of his core. He would have been unnerved if only he had feared the fighter. She was a handful and could sometimes be considered motherly, which was scary in itself, but there was no time to be afraid of anything.

"We don't have time to be screwing around. We have to save them," he spoke with fervor, his eyes shining brightly. Not even the nearby neon light could shine quite as brightly.

Zack felt something warm graze his cheek.

Tifa leaned up and wiped the liquid from his skin. "Are you crying?"

Zack shook his head and pointed upwards. "It rains quite a bit over Midgar." As if to prove the point, several more drops dripped from the sky.

Tifa gave a short nod and took a step back. Zack saw her lift her palm to her cheek, wiping away the rain.

"Rainin', huh? Haven't felt rain in a long time." Barret looked up at the sky. "Always saw things in da sky back home."

"Yeah, back home." Zack saw the dark clouds in the sky, a bolt of lightning grazing by quickly in a haze of white. A few more rain drops fell onto his face and rolled down. There were few things that made him feel so right, so full of timeless wonder. One happened to be the rain. The other was the sky, the bright blue of a cloudless afternoon.

So beautiful, so pure.

So right.

"Oh yeah, before I forget, We're going to be climbing quite a few stairs when we get there. I hope you're ready for that."

Zack knew his words would be a distraction, enough to allow a few droplets of warm liquid to slip down his cheeks without either of the AVALANCHE members noticing.

 


	9. Remember Two: Reactor Reactions

# Remember Two: Reactor Reactions

The snowfall from the recent night coated the ground like glass, covering the thick trees with cold frost. Gongagan Elders found the storm odd. There had never been much snow in their part of the region, one of the reasons their ancestors had decided on such thick forestry. Green leaves shone through the frozen spray while small bugs remained clinging to petals when the cold drops fell.

Zack Fair had taken this opportunity to do something of a rarity (well, rare as in him actually leaving a trace behind) something so compromising that if anyone found out he was sure it would be goodbye to his freedom and hello to eternity stuck in his room. He'd snuck from his window before the sun rose through the white treetops, his fingers slipping on the latch twice from the sheer excitement. It had taken a moment to slip from the cold home's second floor without waking either of his parents, whose heads lay little more than a foot from the window below his own. Every creak left its impression on Zack and when his father took in a particularly large breath, his entire muscular body trembling, the teenager had smacked his hand over his lips to keep himself from yelling.

After such a task, poor weather was little more than a nuisance that stuck to his skin. The only truly annoying thing about the entire situation was his feet leaving clear, easy-to-track footprints from the garden past the Mayor's home, through the six-room schoolhouse yard and out through the thick foliage protecting the town.

The furthest he had ever gone since the reactor was built were the front steps. Too many guards on duty at the time, as terrorism was up fifteen percent with reactor-related incidents, and it was still in the beginning stages. The drills had already pierced the earth, even with the Elders screaming their feelings to the grunts. The rest of the town, people tired of living by candle-light, did not oppose the Shinra.

As Zack knew, his parents weren't quite as happy as the others. The Fair family had always been on the wild side, as far down as six generations: constant womanizing resulting in a few impregnations and runaways, drinking and running through the town while everyone was sleeping and causing general chaos. Zack's own father had been somewhat of a playboy in his time but after marrying the Mayor's daughter and having Zack, he refused to let his son re-enact much of his early behavior (or, Zack admitted, he never allowed his father to find out.) There was a thin line Zack had never toed but with Shinra coming in, with new work and endless possibilities, the line had been destroyed.

Zack would let himself go wild, like every other Fair man had, though his father adamantly refused to believe such a thing could happen. So, they wanted the Shinra gone as far as their feet could take them but there was nothing they could do once the reactor had become more than a plan on wilted paper.

The sound of rustling snapped Zack from his reverie. For the first time the teenager noticed how far from town he had ventured. The billowing black smoke against the dark sky strangled the sky. Light emitted from deep within the metal contraption, eerie and luminous. There was little to be thought about, even with his fear, which he hadn't known had grown to such levels, pounding inside of his chest. A few steps more and he would be at the reactor... and he'd be able to see Shinra up close.

"Kid, what're ya doin' over here? Shouldn't you be all warm and fuzzy in your bed?" A man stepped out of the darkness, the cherry-red of his cigarette blazing. Smoke curled from the tip and through his nostrils before he tossed the half-finished cigarette to the ground, pounding it into wet earth. "Ya know, I didn't have a clue it could snow like this 'round here," the man commented, taking a step forward.

Zack's eyes opened wide."That makes two of us." In a nonchalant manner, the teenager leaned casually against a nearby tree, crossing his arms protectively in front of his stomach. "So, why are you sneaking around here like a criminal?"

The other man, not much older by the sound of his voice, laughed. "Aw, kid, don't do that ta me. Don't really have the time. Just checking out some things for the boss. Gettin' picked up soon and I really don't wanna spend too much more time here. Not to be an ass, kid, but this place is like living in fuckin' Lala Land. Never seen so many damn chocobos in all my life." He flipped his red hair over his shoulder, looking back at the reactor.

"So, you work for Shinra?"

"Yep. Kinda fun if ya like that sorta thing." The man rubbed the back of his neck, one foot still tapping the ground. "I like it enough."

Zack's eyes widened. "I want to join. Where do I sign up?"

The man's green eyes observed the other carefully. "That's why you snuck out of your house? To go beg some grunt to tell you how to get into Shinra?"

Zack opened his mouth, but then narrowed his eyes. "Wait, how do you know I snuck out?"

The man pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his blue suit, slipping one between pink lips. "Well, kid, I was doin' my job, y' know."

Zack didn't remember that night until nearly two years later, not long after seizing the ranking of SOLDIER Third-Class. In that room, barren of anything but a table and two chairs, the table garnished with one glass and a half-empty bottle of vodka, the memories of his first true rebellion gazed back with liquid-green eyes.

"Hey, the name's Reno. Me an' you seem to be stuck in a bit of a tiffy." The red-head swirled the vodka in his glass for a moment before lifting in to his lips. "It looks like the big boys upstairs want us ta be partners and I ain't too happy 'bout that. My normal partner, Rude, managed to blow up some bullshit experiment of Hojo's and now I ain't got no one to go with me for this damn assignment." He drainted the cold glass before smacking it to the table with a thud. "Anyway, we gotta go kidnap some guy off the plate. I gotta use you ta get in there. Some assassin from Wutai."

Zack's eyes, already enhanced with mako, observed the redhead.

"I ain't got nuthin' on my face. What are you starin' at? I know I'm sexy but didn't your mother teach you it's rude to stare?"

Zack pulled the other seat out and slammed his body into it. The wooden legs screeched against the ground, rubbing along the floor. Quickly, Zack took the glass, pouring himself a decent amount of the alcohol before draining it. The clear liquid went down harshly.

"I think we're gonna need a bit more of this," Zack mumbled.

Reno smirked. "Ya know, maybe we'll get along just fine."


	10. Into the Monster's Den

# Chapter Seven: Into the Monster's Den

"We ain't runnin' up them," Barret growled, searching for an end to the set of metal stairs. "Spiky, you out of your damn mind? I ain't no SOLDIER. I'm gunna die if I try doin' sumthin' stupid like climbin' these damn stairs."

Zack shook his hair wildly, spraying water on Barret's chest and arm, sending cold rain water dripping down his gun arm. "Sorry, Bossman, but we're going up those. If we cause a stir, all Holy is going to break loose."

When Barret remained silent, Zack answered himself, "It's a no then?."

"Have you ever ran up these?" Tifa asked, grabbing onto the railing, peering the same way Barret had moments before. Her hair swung in her face, the end of her ponytail hitting Barret like a wet whip.

"Yeah, I have climbed them. Used to do this constantly, once a week. Granted, I am a SOLDIER First-Class. Think you can keep up?"

Barret scoffed. "Yeah, Spiky. I can keep up wit' your pansy legs **.** I'm AVALANCHE." On cue the man flexed the muscles in his two arms, the masses growing to the size of a child's head.

"Uh, sure. Whatever you say, Bossman, especially when you were just complaining." He stretched his legs before taking in a deep breath. "Guess we better start now. Don't know how long Aeris and Cloud'll be here; better hope they don't send them to Junon."

Zack took off with the last word, his feet hitting the metal, boots squeaking. All he could feel was the adrenaline in his body working through his legs, pumping from his brain to his feet, pushing him forward with each step. There were few things that made him feel this. "Well, you said you could do this, didn't you?" he laughed loudly as he passed the first set of stairs in a streak of wind.

* * *

Fifty flights up, Zack remembered exactly why he hated training. His body was tingling with phantom pains. He almost felt like he would begin to sweat- something that didn't happen often with SOLDIERs. In fact, Zack thought, the only time he could remember getting completely sweaty was when he was having some form of sex.

Tifa and Barret were at least two floors down. He hadn't seen them for a good hour and he only hoped they hadn't suddenly dropped off the face of Gaia. All that kept him from turning away was the memory of two sets of bright eyes.

Cloud and Aeris were up there.

 _I need a gallon of water,_ Zack thought. Dehydration was setting in and he hoped there would be some type of water fountain at the top. _But if **I'm**  feeling this way I have to wonder about them. They've got to be dying. _

The thought wasn't pleasant. Saving Cloud and Aeris would take more than himself. Zack knew he was strong – stronger than most – but he couldn't do it alone. If, Gaia forbid, either Aeris or Cloud was badly hurt, Zack didn't know how he'd choose between them. With Barret and Tifa he knew he could get both.

So his feet continued to hit the floor, echoing loudly. The breath in his lungs went in and then left, the process repeating over and over again. The pores on Zack's skin opened, allowing a drizzle of sweat to slide down his back. The muscles in his legs twinged and he felt them stiffening up.

No wonder he fucking hated training.

 _Not much longer_ , Zack thought as he rounded the last corner, the door getting closer and closer. When he reached the last step his knees buckled and the man fell flat on his stomach into the steel. When he lowered his head it felt like a cool ice pack on his fire-hot skin. His throat was parched and his tongue felt like a limp piece of dried meat.

Barret and Tifa's feet padded up the final staircase twenty minutes later. Drenched in sweat, Barret was mumbling about his daughter – Zack could hear him repeating her name as a mantra. Tifa, on the other hand, looked furious, smashing her feet with excessive force into the stairs. "W–well," she spat out, falling down to the ground, "n–never ag–again." She gulped for more air. "Nuh uh," she mumbled, spreading her limbs out on the stairs.

"And you've done this 'fore?" Barret panted.

Zack attempted to nod his head, but his hair stuck to the ground. "Once a week."

"Outta yur fuckin' mind," came the black man's guttural reply. "Jus' need to rest fo' a lil' while."

Zack knew it was true, so he did not press to make them move. The first time he had conquered the Shinra Headquarter's stairs was right after being injected with Mako for the first time. A Second-Class had brought him and the other recruits up to tire their bodies. Mako gave an unhealthy amount of energy at once, so it was best to get rid of the excess.

Many hadn't made it to the halfway mark, but Zack, Zack had been able to surpass many of the SOLDIER Second-Classes. Their legs were more powerful but no one at that time had the same willpower as the sixteen-year-old grunt from Gongaga. Not long after, he was pushed up the ranks. By seventeen, Zack had mastered hundreds of others, earning the name SOLDIER First-Class.

"Jus' a few more." Barret took a couple of hulking breaths, wiping his head with his shoulder.

"Fine." Zack lifted his head up an inch before putting it back down. "Only because I can't move at the moment," the ex-SOLDIER added under his breath.

* * *

"There's gonna be guards after this point. I suggest you get your weapons ready, otherwise it's going to be a little hard protecting all of our asses." Zack unsheathed the Buster Sword, gripping the hilt with both his hands. The tip was still covered in blood, Zack noticed with distaste. The poor relic was in dire need of a wonderful scrubbing once they got out.

The violet-eyed man glanced over in both directions, making sure the others were ready before slowly opening the door. Bright light filtered in from overhead and Zack had to squint for a moment to see. There were four guards, he counted, only two brandishing weapons. Nearby, one of the red-clothed men was playing with a small rectangle of plastic.

Zack shut the door quietly. "So," he whispered, "there's a guard with a keycard. We're going to need one right now to get any further. I remember that this place ridiculous. You need to get the proper keycard to get up further. Used to have one that reached level sixty-eight, but they confiscated that when... well, it isn't that important. The fact remains. I don't have it anymore, so we're going to have to get another."

"We can just steal it from that guard and we're good?" Tifa voiced the plan. She nodded her head up and down. Zack noticed her brown eyes narrow, as if calculating something.

"Yep, that'd be it," he stated, looking between both Barret and Tifa. "Real simple. Told them to spend some money on fingerprint scanners, but noooooo," Zack exaggerated the word, pulling it along with him, "they just had to go and waste more money on a beach house in Costa del Sol. Shit if you ask me, but I guess it's a good thing they didn't." The black-haired man swung his head. "Doesn't matter though. We should start about... now!"

The door swung open, crashing into the wall on the other side. The guards looked up toward the group, the first one only having a second before he was swiftly dealt a slash to the stomach from Zack's blade. Blood poured from the cut as he fell to the floor.

Tifa took another guard down, pinning him successfully to the ground, but before she smacked his head against the ground he pushed down a button on his belt, causing the entire floor to light up in bright red light.

"Shit, backup!" Zack yelled as he sidestepped a bullet. Barret was shooting loudly, not noticing where he was pointing his gun and would have severely harmed the ex-SOLDIER if he had not had the common sense to move. "Quit shooting at everything!" Zack hollered before going after another guard.

As the last man fell from several bullet wounds riddling his chest, the lights still blinking red, the nearby elevator opened up, disposing nearly a dozen more guards armed with guns and from the glow of their hands, materia.

Zack didn't wait a moment to charge straight at the group of guards, but before he could advance much further than the first one he was hit in the chest with an ice spell. His skin turned to ice and the blood in his veins seemed to freeze. Intense, blinding pain engulfed him as Zack's heart froze inside of his body, the organ shutting down.

He was lucky. Tifa tackled the materia-wielder in the middle of a second spell, shattering two of his teeth that went shooting out of his mouth. As the ex-SOLDIER snapped from the spell, there was a bombardment of bullets whizzing past his body, one grazing the skin of his cheek. Blood spouted from the cut. Zack twisted the Buster Sword and impaled one of the closest men.

He shook the body off a second later, rounding on the next man. He had a thin blue shield encasing his body, a ball of green materia stowed in one hand, the other armed with a sword. He pointed the sword at Zack, who snorted.

"Just give up," he laughed, closing his eyes. When there was no response, Zack twisted his hands across the hilt, muttering a few incomprehensible words under his breath. In a flash of bright red light, Zack thrust his sword into the man and quickly pulled out, so quickly that it took a moment for a pool of blood to appear under his feet.

The guard fell back with a thud, squelching in his own blood. Zack broke from his trance, taking in a deep breath. He hadn't noticed how he held his own breath or how doing so made his spine tingle and his body shudder without explanation. Angeal had once called it the thrill of the kill. Even though the words disturbed him, Zack knew they were partially true. It was more the thrill of the fight and being able to allow all bonds to break apart in an instant. The thrill of... being a monster.

There was no one left alive. It took a moment for this fact to sink into Zack's brain, as not two minutes before there had been a handful of people swarming around, their red uniforms glaring in the false light. Now there were only shreds of clothing and blood as well as limbs scattered. The carnage reeked of salt and gunpowder.

"Well..." Zack took another deep breath, expelling it after a moment. "Can't say I don't feel bad. Didn't even have a chance."

One of the bodies on the floor took this as their opportunity to let out a hoarse half-scream. Barret, before even Zack had the time to move his head, shot another dozen rounds into the mutilated corpse. It fell back into the sea of blood.

"That was overdoing it." The ex-SOLDIER nudged the body with the toe of his boot. Glazed eyes stared back. "Yeah, way overdone."

Zack looked around for a moment, searching for Tifa. After a moment he noticed her crouching near the ground, one of her gloved hands searching the dead man's pocket. "Digging for gold?" he remarked at the pile of ever-growing objects.

Tifa snapped her head up and began to snarl. "I can't find the key." She made a jingling movement with her hand, pulling out a few pieces of blood-stained paper. "Damn," she swore, "nothing here either." The red-splotched papers were thrown to the ground in haste. "I did find some materia. One looked rather funny, so I thought it may help. It was from the guy with the blue shield. He dropped it after attacking you with it."

Zack caught the materia, the cold feeling returning, but only in his hands. "Mastered materia." There were few things so cold as mastered Ice materia.

"Wait, you got hit wit' mastered materia? Why ain't you dead?" Barret exclaimed in shock. He scratched his head, giving Zack a disgruntled look. "That ain't human."

Zack snorted. "Well, aren't you just the nicest guy," Zack threw the ball of materia up into the air before catching it once again, "I'm quite human. Are you human? I mean, you've got a gun grafted to your arm. Does that make you any less?" When there was no response he answered, "Nope. Not in the damn least."

"But I can't live through sumthin' like that!" came Barret's outraged reply.

"Think of it this way," the man bit his lip, pocketing the materia, "I've got a gun grafted into my arm too. We're turned into living weapons, and we both use these skills to save the people and things we care about. We aren't so different. I have mako and you have a gun-arm." Zack pointed his chin prominently to the steel. "And in all reality it's the same thing. Protection."

With these words, the ex-SOLDER kneeled down near one of the bodies and pulled a keycard from the half mangled pocket. He held the piece of plastic between his fingers. "Now that we have this, are you ready to get going?"

* * *

When the elevator doors pinged open, Zack ducked his head out, looking around to see if anyone was lurking near the glass elevator. There wasn't, he noticed after a moment of inspection. A woman was nearby, drumming her hand against a copy machine, the music issuing from the ear-buds so loud even Zack, though his enhanced hearing was to blame, could discern the sound of instruments and a choir of people singing in a high key.

"One chick to the right. Busy, but that doesn't mean she'll stand there and not turn around. Walk as quickly as you can without alerting anyone. Got it?" Zack turned, looking at his two companions. They nodded their heads, Barret a little more sullen than the woman.

It only took a few minutes for Zack to figure out exactly what level they were on, especially once he saw a man with a greasy mane of hair pulled back in a ponytail following a woman in a scarlet red dress into a large room with double doors. Zack swung his arm forward, stopping both Tifa and Barret. Tifa fell and landed on her backside, a muffled cry escaping her lips.

"Ehh," the ex-SOLDIER gritted his teeth, wincing.  _Shit, too loud! He's gonna hear me and find us and that isn't gonna be good,_ Zack thought for one panicked moment but the scientist was too quick. He turned around and looked straight at the three. There was a great intake of breath. Zack felt his heart beat out of his chest and splat on the ground.

At first glance, Hojo didn't look any different then he had a year before, but Zack had the uncomfortable feeling that if he could look directly into the man's eyes, more insanity would lie within. His hands folded behind his back, the old man twisted around for a moment, glaring at them from behind his glasses.

Zack snapped his eyes shut, placing faith in the child's belief that if he couldn't see anything no one could see him. Hojo's appearance informed Zack exactly who was behind Aeris's and Cloud's kidnapping.

There was a moment of stillness where both parties stopped breathing before the cruel scientist unfolded his hands and pushed his glasses up his nose. Spinning on his heel, he joined with the woman in the red dress – Zack assumed was Scarlet – and shut the door.

"Zack," Tifa grunted as she pushed herself off the floor, wiping her hand across her forehead, "watch where you fling your arms-not everyone is a super SOLDIER."

A moment of silence passed between the three until Zack heard a low rumbling from behind the door. He ignored Tifa's comment. "That sounds like Heidegger's insane cackle," the ex-SOLDIER whispered, his mind running through various memories of the man who had a short fuse and a quick punch. The only people who had seemed exempt from the random smacks were the three SOLDIER First-Class Elites.

" _But, why not?" Zack sat down on his knees in the middle of the room, looking around, confused. "I've even been at the mercy of Heidegger, but why not you?"_

_The black-haired man next to him sat comfortably in a chair, his hand running over the shimmering weapon in his lap. "Well, we taught him at an early age exactly what we could do. I would like to believe that the General, Genesis, and I were able to convince him of exactly what was proper and what was not."_

_"How'd you manage that?"  
_

_"I don't think you'd want to know."  
_

Zack shook his head, the previous thoughts being pushed to the back of his mind. "Doesn't matter. We should try to listen in on them. There once was a good spy hole near the Turk offices, but since they moved it down to the fifty-third floor I don't know what's changed. It's northwest corner of this floor. Shouldn't be too hard to find."

* * *

As the three got closer to their goal, the worse it smelled. At first, Zack had thought nothing of it, but as they continued on and the stench grew overpowering as their feet trailed across the floor, the black-haired man knew exactly what Shinra had turned the Turk's small office into.

"Why are we going into a bathroom?" Tifa, Zack noticed, had her glove over her mouth and nose.

"This was where they had the Turk's office. I guess the complaints from the Heads made the old man put in bathrooms on this floor. Reno whined like a little bitch about having to go down a floor to take a leak." He held the door open, gesturing with his hands. "Ladies first."

It took a moment to situate the three in the rather small restroom, Zack having to squirm through to get past the other two. He placed his black boots on the porcelain bowl, reaching a hand into his pocket to pull out a pocket knife. There was a click as the blade swept out. 

"What you doin'?"

"Getting the grate loose. If you're just going to stand there and look like a moron, can you at least lock the door?" The popping reverberated against the walls. "Ah, there she goes." Metal slid into his hands and the black-haired man bent down, placing the grate of the floor, a deep contrast to the green floor tiles.

"Now that that's done, we get to climb up-"

Barret cut him off. "What you sayin'? I ain't gunna fit in there."

"Well," Zack started, clapping his hands before putting them up through the hole in the ceiling, "stay down here then. Don't hear what those Heads have to say. I mean, I guess you aren't the leader of AVALANCHE."

The burly man growled, a hoarse sound escalating from inside his throat.

Zack managed to pull his body up, reaching down after a second for Tifa's hand. "You comin' or should I just go?"

The brown-eyed woman reached up, putting her feet on the bowl. "You don't need to ask," she stated as Zack pulled her through the hole.

"Let's go," the ex-SOLDIER said, pointing his finger toward the dim light coming from a hole much like the others.

A sound finally came from Barret, who was cursing as he pushed his metal arm into the hole. "Ain't leavin' me." Another grunt or two later the overlarge man managed to get himself through with all of his limbs intact. Patiently, Zack waited for his comrade before he continued.

"How do you know about this place?" Tifa asked, crawling behind Zack.

He grunted for a second, pushing his body further with his elbows. His things banged on the metal. "Should have left this shit down there," the man said sarcastically before answering the woman, "and the reason I know of this place was because of who I hung around. Turks are too nosy for their own good. Got us into a few tight spots when I was still a grunt. Even had trouble when I became a SOLDIER."

They crawled through the ducts for a minute or so, slowly so their sounds were few and far between, until they were all situated around the second grate, the voices inside becoming louder and audible.

"But if we do that, there's a chance the people of Midgar will begin to hate Shinra even more and with that there's a higher chance of rebellion. Already sixteen people have been arrested for connections to AVALANCHE in the other Sectors. Sir, this isn't good!" the black-haired man, someone Zack vaguely remembered from his own time in Shinra, yelled, slamming his fist into the table.

The blond president scowled and rubbed at his mustache. "They will trust us more, Tuesti, for protecting them. You should know better by now. I thought we spoke of your feelings for the rats; I told you to crush them months ago. It is not in your favor to be so..." the man stopped, pointing his hand toward Scarlet, indicating she should complete the thought.

"Childish and naive?"

"Yes, Scarlet. Exactly. Now, onto more important subjects. Hojo, how are our specimens?"

The scientist stood, hunched over. "Specimen 'A' is being rather troublesome. Her menstrual cycle is complicated and will require further analysis. It would be wise for us to begin breeding as soon as the test results come in. Granted, there is the problem with the specimen being completely inferior to her own mother." Zack knew what the tightness in Hojo's voice meant. It was the same tone Zack had heard him use in the lab numerous times, mainly in reference to Cloud.

"And the other...?"

"Much, much more important than I had expected from the beginning. It seems as though the mutations are affecting his muscle  _and_ brain tissue. I have been experimenting on him for the better part of the day and already I've uncovered a treasure trove of information. Full test results are still on their way but I'm certain if I can harness this DNA we will have a super-weapon on our hands."

Zack gripped his hands together. They were speaking of Aeris and Cloud... Cloud, a superweapon? That wasn't possible...

"Will we be breeding these two specimens?"

Hojo snorted. "It would be best if we did not. The other specimen has already begun the process of readying. I believe that it would be best to wait until we see if science is ready for such a child that Specimen 'A' and 'C' would bear. We will stick to the original plan. Once the first offspring is born and more tests come back conclusive, we will mate these two, perhaps creating an offspring more powerful than even Sephiroth." Hojo cackled, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Normally," he began again, "I would be displeased with the one hundred years of researching the first offspring but with these new genes there will be a chance of reaching this 'Promised Land' you search for within two, perhaps three years."

"That sick bastard," Zack whispered, his joints contorting, stomach shriveling. "How could he? Cloud and Aeris, breed?"

Zack's mind filled with awful images of a child chained to a pool of mako, submersed, begging for freedom. His eyes were a bright mako blue, hair the color of chestnut. His blue veins lined his face and body, the sickly skin the color of paper. It was Holy's wrath all over again, the Mansion of Despair.

He had to shove his head to the ground, the cool steel on his skin, to keep the bile from rising, to ignore the acidic taste covering his tongue. When he lifted his head, he noticed the looks of absolute horror passing between the two AVALANCHE members. They hadn't noticed him. For that, Zack was glad.

The room had been vacated as Zack had been seeing flashes of a false child floating in green substance, screaming, crying, clawing for freedom.

* * *

It was going to be impossible for Zack to get up to the next floor without at least knocking someone out. Surprisingly, the chance arose the moment the three were able to squeeze themselves from the shaft above. Their victim was an lab tech in his late forties, hair already turning a thick peppery color, who had been knocking on the door for, as he claimed, nearly a half an hour.

When Zack opened the door, the man looked relieved before the backside of his Buster Sword smacked into his skull, rendering him unconscious before he even connected with the floor.

"That's going to hurt later." Zack stuck his hand into the man's pockets, searching for the keycard he knew would be in there. "Oh plastic, where in Gaia are you?"

"How do you even know he has a keycard?" Tifa asked wearily, looking at the man.

"Because every floor below this one has a bathroom, but none above. He's also got a lab coat on... hold on... here it is, pretty little thing." It wasn't really pretty, Zack knew, but it was going to get them up to the next floor without hurting anyone. Well, hurting someone worse than just a minor bump on the head.

"So, we goin' up?"

Zack rolled his eyes. "No, we're going downstairs to drink coffee.  _Yes_ , we're going up."

"No need ta be an ass."

Zack stood and turned the handle of the door. The floor was quiet and Zack smiled. Perhaps it wasn't going to be so hard to get Cloud and Aeris back from Shinra after all.

* * *

It was harder then he had expected, Zack had to admit. They had managed to get up to the sixty-seventh floor but something was in their way. It hadn't been a human, nor an animal, but Zack couldn't move his feet in any direction except toward the tank. He passed several boxes positioned the wrong way, much like they had been in the Mako reactor, but none of this concerned him. It was the bright green light emitting from the small glass piece that allowed him to see inside.

The thing was lacking a head. Then, after a moment, he felt as though all of his blood was pooling to one side, like a magnetic attraction had taken place between his blood and that of Jenova.

Oh, he remembered the monster, the headless spectre that was once a complete human locked in the ice of two thousand years ago. Sephiroth had called her his mother in the reactor, cutting her head off to keep her close to him. Brief flashes of light, a scream and then nothingness.

"Jenova?" Zack ran the pads of his fingertips over the glass in confusion. It was her body,  _its body_ , but the blue skin wasn't right. It couldn't be real, could it?

There was a sudden scream, a hoarse yell that shook Zack's core. He twisted his head to the side, seeing a container filled with thin gas, a body pounding into the glass repeatedly. The screeching came from the boy's mouth, his bloodied arms smashing against the clear surface, smearing red liquid across the barrier. The boy inside had the look of feral monster, the whites of his eyes blood-shot, the blue standing out vividly.

It wasn't the way he was supposed to look. He was just a kid, a boy who looked no older than sixteen with the mentality of a teenager. He wasn't meant to be a monster... but his eyes, so wide, sent a tingle of fear down Zack's spine. Violet met sky blue. There was little but craziness in hi's eyes, horror and confusion in Zack's own.

"Cloud!" Tifa yelled, running past the other two, nearly tripping over a box in her hurry.

While she was running forward, her hands punching at the glass to release the blond, his eyes stayed locked with the ex-SOLDIER. Something broke in Cloud's eyes, and Zack dropped to his knees. There was a moment of realization for Zack during which the taste of bile rose once again in his throat.

It was the same. The monster in the tank so long ago, the Jenova pieces heremembered-it looked exactly the same.

Cloud's eyes flashed green.

* * *

Before Zack had the chance to reach the glass, the elevator inside was moving, raising the floor underneath Cloud. His face hadn't changed but he had begun to dig his nails into the glass, scratching for freedom. Blood dribbled out of his mouth as he let out a hoarse yell.

"Shit!" Zack banged his fist on the glass still coated with the blood of his comrade. The next floor was the scientific labs. How long would Hojo torture Cloud before Zack was able to get to them? Quickly, he scanned the room, searching for a way up.

"An elevator!" Tifa yelled, her feet already moving toward the northern-most wall, climbing up a ramp. Zack hadn't even noticed her movement; she had been standing right next to him one second, then gone in the next. She pushed the button, causing the elevator to grind its way down.

"What're we waiting for?" Zack jumped clean over another set of boxes blocking his passage, turning his head to quickly regard Barret. "You gonna come or what?"

A few screamed orders suddenly pitched through the air. Barret didn't answer but turned around, switching the safety off, letting out a blaze of bullets.

"Shinra ain't gunna get past me. Go get Chocobo-head and that ladyl!" Barret stopped for a moment, looking over his shoulder at Zack, the black of the man's irises disconcerting. "Get movin'!" The Shinra elites appeared in the room and Barret turned back around, this time pressing the small red button on his gun arm.

In the pre-battle silence, the  _ping!_  of the elevator was deafening. Tifa grabbed the ex-SOLDIER's arm, pulling him in just in time: a bullet whizzed into the metal doors just as they shut, Barret still screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs.

"What are we gunna do?" Tifa asked as she pulled her gloves up.

"What do you think we're gunna do?" Zack snapped, taking in a few deep breaths. "We're going to save Cloud before that bastard puts one more finger on him. I won't let it happen again."

"What do you mean 'again?'"

Zack slammed his fist into the metal siding of the elevator. "Not now, not ever!"

The  _ping!_  echoed in the elevator and before Zack gave the woman a moment to ask another question, one he didn't want to answer, he pulled out his Buster Sword and left the small confined space.

He was already seeing red.

* * *

The red Zack saw, he noticed a moment later, wasn't due to the anger consuming his core. Trapped inside another glass tube, much like the one the black-haired man had watched his friend disappear from not two minutes before, was a red beast pawing at the glass, leaving thick jagged lines in its wake. He looked like one of Hojo's experiments: semi-drugged, covered in dozens of open wounds and stitches, a  _XIII_ carved into his shoulder blade.

This was Hojo's playground.

Zack watched as a noxious blue gas was pumped into the glass prison, making the red-furred beast fall to the ground, eyes glazing over. It was a place where animals were turned into monsters, pitiful creatures transformed into sharp-teethed, vicious  _things_. No words could explain the lowly creature Professor Hojo was.

Zack ran when he heard a muffled scream of agony. Dodging past crates, up another ramp, the first thing he saw was Cloud strapped down to a metal board, his clothes in a heap near his feet. His torso was pierced by a dozen large needles, the tubes hooked up to several strange colored IV bags. His hands were bound to his sides to prevent him from ripping the needles out, and his eyes were laced with something beyond agony. A white cloth bound his mouth. Blood was already spotting through.

"Shh." Zack motioned for Tifa to follow him. "It's okay, Cloudy, just give us a sec to get these things out. Tifa, go grab his clothes," Zack ordered.

She looked ready to object, but smashed her lips together before nodding, her eyes unable to stay steady.

Zack took the few last steps to the boy tied on the metal table, talking in deep, comforting sentences. "Everything's okay now. Just hold still and we'll get you out of there." Slowly, he moved his hands to the needles, pulling each out with care, placing them on the floor. Once the delicate extraction process was complete, the ex-SOLDIER began to untie the blond. First his mouth - the boy sucked in one grateful, shuddering breath - then the wrists and legs.

"Shh, Cloud. Everything's alright, everything's okay." Zack had never been overwhelmed by such a desire to grab him and hug him until neither of them could breathe. He just looked so scared, so heartbroken, that Zack could barely restrain himself from crying.

The boy sat up and turned his head to the side, expelling a stream of chemically-changed blood from his throat and mouth. Gushing forth from his mouth were unnatural colors, shades the human body couldn't possibly create: crimson tinged with dark blues and greens, speckled with black. It was a mess Zack had seen before too many times before.

Tifa had gathered most of Cloud's clothing a moment later. Her face turned green as she saw the puddles on the ground. By this stage, the teenager's retching had somewhat calmed. "Here," she said, approaching Zack and placing the clothes in his waiting hands, taking care to avoid the scattered needles and blood on her way. There was a moment of hesitation but afterward Tifa lightly put her hand in Cloud's matted spikes.

Zack resisted doing the same motherly act, choosing instead to unfold the clothes. "Okay, let's get you into these." Zack gave a fake smile to the blond when he finished expelling the foreign chemicals from his system.

Cloud coughed brutally, covering his mouth as more of the inky substance parted from his body.

Zack looked around before grabbing the marginally clean robe on the ground, wiping Cloud's face with the white material. "It ain't that bad, Cloud. See?"

Cloud spat in the opposite direction. "Sure." His voice sounded like it was grating against his teeth. A few tears leaked from his eyes. Cloud grabbed the robe from Zack's hand, blowing his nose unceremoniously.

Tifa moved her hand away. "I'm not sure how long Barret is going to be able to keep those guards away. We should hurry up and find Aeris otherwise we won't get another chance."

Zack nodded his head.  _We need to find Aeris before they try 'breeding' her,_ he reminded himself, the nasal voice of Hojo echoing in his brain. One day, Zack would kill that monster with his own bare hands. Five years of experimentation, destroying the three greatest warriors in the world, murdering thousands of people, attempting to hurt Aeris... but the last straw was Cloud.

For this, for everything...

Zack would rip Hojo's heart out with his bare hands.

* * *

Zack helped Cloud into his clothes only because the boy was too weak to do it himself. A good percentage of his blood lay on the ground and in the glass prison. Earlier, when the boy had attempted to stand on his own in his typically stubborn way, he had fallen to his already-bruised knees.

"Thanks," Cloud managed in response to Zack's aid.

Zack grunted, fixing the last zipper. "Wasn't going to let you run around mooning people. I've got a bit more brains than that. Besides, I've seen worse on missions. Your white ass isn't that much of a shock-"

However, the nasal voice that then entered the room interrupted, saying, "I guess that should have been expected."

Zack whipped his head around to see the professor standing near another glass tube, running his fingers over a clipboard in his hands.

"But," he continued, "I will just have to cope with your intrusion." He made a few other notes on the board before leaning forward, pressing a red button on the side of the glass tube. A bright flash of light escaped from the center and the grinding of an elevator rising could be heard. "After all, you have brought a rather nice meal for  _XIII_ , not to mention that wonderful specimen for him to breed with." Hojo walked towards the trapped red beast, tapping his finger against the glass.

The red-furred monster looked up from his one good eye and laid his head back down.

"Perfect," Hojo muttered.

Zack turned to the other glass prison to see Barret and Aeris inside. Barret had his beefy hands tied behind his back while Aeris was fighting to release the material binding her.

Zack gritted his teeth. "Hojo, what on the fucking Planet are you thinking? Aeris is human and you aren't going to be feeding my boss to that damn dog!" From the corner of his eye, Zack could see Tifa walking forward silently, staying out of Hojo's eyeline. She sent a look to Zack, one that explained everything and nothing.

Apparently, Cloud saw, too.

"There are so many frivolous things in this world." Hojo rubbed the pen against the paper again, completely absorbed in his notes.

"Where's my sword?" Cloud questioned, his voice breathy. There was pain in his eyes, Zack noticed, but the blond wasn't willing to allow pain, no matter how immense, to cripple him.

"I don't think I should give it to you," he answered immediately.

Cloud turned and narrowed his eyes. There was a small crusting of blood under his nose that Zack could clearly see as he leaned closer to the ex-SOLDIER's face.

"I want my sword. Now."

Zack took a step back, pulling the katana off his back, handing the sheet-wrapped sword over. "I think we  _should_  stop that crazy bastard before he does something else-" he was cut off by the sound of an inhuman shriek, simultaneous with glass shattering. In a flash of red and teeth, the beast sprung out of the glass cage, straight onto the unsuspecting professor.

Hojo made a sound akin to a girlish shriek as he was pounced on, his head cracking against the floor. The beast growled and turned its head to Zack. "Are you going to help or will you stand there like a drunken fool until security is called?"

"You  _talk_?" Tifa yelled, her mouth falling open comically.

Zack cocked his head, staring. "The fuck?  _It_  talks!"

The beast sniffed, putting more pressure on Hojo, who let out another squeal. "I will talk as much as you like later, ma'am. Now, I think I am going to enjoy ripping out your throat,  _Professor_." The creature leaned forward, its teeth coming closer to the greasy skin of Hojo's throat.

Zack's eyes darted away for reasons he was unsure of. He saw Barret and Aeris climbing out of the destroyed tube, a few small tears pricking the woman's eyes. Briefly distracted, it was as second too late that he saw Hojo had managed to push some button on another tube, opening the door. Several mutated monsters climbed out, snapping their jaws, one attaching itself to the red beast's front paw. The beast let out a loud growl as it was pulled from Hojo's body.

"I should be leaving," Hojo stated shakily.

"I don't think so." Cloud skirted past Zack, pointing his katana at Hojo's chest. "We should lock you in one of these cages and let the monsters eat you."

Hojo gave an airy chuckle. "Oh, the irony. Allow the scientist's precious work to eat him. It would be something only you would come up with." The scientist giggled at the thought.

"Tifa, I think you should get Aeris out of here. Those things don't look very nice," Zack said as he slowly pulled out his Buster Sword, motioning with his head for both women to take shelter in a nearby office.

The two women scrambled past, for once doing as the ex-SOLDIER insisted.

* * *

Sometime while he'd been preoccupied fighting the monsters, Hojo had been whacked in the head with a box of medical instruments or so Zack believed from the large corner indent in his head and broken beakers surrounding him.

"You should have allowed me the pleasure of ripping out his jugular," the red beast commented, sitting down, the materia ball locked in the bangle around his foreleg shining brightly.

Zack felt a warm breeze tickle his face. The few thick scratches he had received from the fight disappeared in the warm green light. "Thanks for that," said the black-haired man as he looked around the laboratory, assessing the battle damage.

Tifa and Aeris had come back for a few minutes after the fight but had disappeared down to the sixty-sixth floor in a rush after Zack told them of the plans to get out of the building as soon as possible. Barret had gone with them - Zack had resisted a snort. The AVALANCHE leader wasn't susceptible to many things but Tifa telling him to do something... he would walk the ends of Gaia on her command. It was interesting to watch ever since their first meeting.

Cloud sat on a nearby box, his eyes never leaving Hojo. It scared Zack a bit, the intensity held within the blond's mako blue eyes. There were times others held that look in their eyes but it mostly came from the war veterans who had seen things no human should have seen. It was understandable, of course, for Cloud to be staring at Hojo, as if he wished to pull out the man's intestines with his bare hands and hang them from the ceiling... but…

Zack hated that look.

Cloud sat with his head on his knee, the other leg dangling languidly. The katana lay near, on a box within reach. Zack was waiting for Cloud to snap, pick up the katana and shove it into Hojo's head.

"Your glares aren't going to kill him," the beast pointed out.

Cloud continued to stare.

"So, what exactly are you, anyway?" Zack asked, his fingers itching for a cigarette.  _Haven't had one in five_ _years,_ he thought grimly.

"I am what you see. It is far too complicated to explain, especially when we should be heading to the lower floors to find your friends. I don't care to be caught again."

Zack nodded. "Well, can you at least give us your name?"

"My name is of no concern, but the name bestowed on me by him," it gestured to Hojo, "was Red XIII. I don't care of what you call me, but may I give you some advice?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it, Red?"

Red looked pointedly at Hojo. "You may want to restrain your friend."

Zack's eyes widened dramatically as he jumped up, colliding with Cloud, who was already poised over Hojo's body, the point of his katana lightly touching the scientist's throat. Luckily for Hojo, when Zack knocked into the blond his sword skewered the ground centimeters away from his neck.

"Are you out of your fucking mind, Cloud?" Zack yelped, pulling the shorter boy by the waist, leaving the katana embedded into the ground.

"Not yet, but you can call me whatever you want after I kill that bastard!" Cloud struggled hard against Zack's arms, reaching for the hilt of the katana in vain. The strength left in his battered body was astonishing. Zack pulled the blond up, the jerkiness causing Cloud's head to smash into Zack's jaw, sending both reeling back into boxes.

"We're going to kill him, but let's wait until he's awake." Zack held onto Cloud, his breath running across his friend's face. "I want him to watch as we do it. I... I want to hear him scream."

"Well, ain't you two the brightest crayons in the box," a snarky voice slashed through the air.

Zack pulled Cloud up with him, meeting Reno's cold green eyes. There was a sling perched around his neck, his left arm shoved inside, a trademark cigarette hanging from his lips. There was his smirk. There was his EMR swinging from his belt. There was even that tell-tale 'I just got laid' hair style.

But that cold look… Zack hadn't seen it in years.

This was the angry Turk he never wanted to cross. This was the man everyone in the slums feared. This was the person who could kill with a single finger. This was a man who was second-in-command for the Turks. This was Reno on the job.

"Well, lookie who I found, Boss. Do I get a raise?"

Tseng walked up behind him, his hands folded patiently. He said, "Perhaps I will be able to stop the company from taking those expenses out of your paycheck for destroying your office." At this time a dozen armed SOLDIERs surrounded the group and the ex-SOLDIER understood there was no escaping.

Reno made a face.

"Well, either way, we bringin' these guys with the others?" Reno walked toward Zack, his eyes unchanging.

"Yes, Reno."

Reno already had Zack by the hair, roughly pulling him away from Cloud. "Well, I've got him. You can grab the others. Get a muzzle for that thing, eh?"

* * *

In the elevator, Reno leaned forward and pushed the button. It was only Zack and the red-haired Turk.

Reno leaned forward and began to murmur, "You're lucky you know me." He pulled his arm from the sling, sliding a keycard into Zack's pocket. "And you're lucky I don't fuckin' hate you."

What in all that was Holy going on with Reno?

"You aren't bipolar, are you?" Zack whispered, causing the other man to laugh uncontrollably.

The elevator _ping!-_ ed open and the mask went straight back on Reno's face.

* * *

The president of Shinra Inc. was a bug that needed squishing, Zack conceded as Reno pushed him toward the man's desk. Zack knew where they were headed the moment Reno had pushed the 70th floor's button. That was where Shinra sat on his throne of skulls and gold, laughing as he watched from his tinted windows the destruction of the Sectors he had created. He probably had a good show of all of the Mako Reactors blowing up, not to mention the fall of the Sector Seven Plate.

 _Enjoyed it too, no doubt_ , Zack thought bitterly as he trudged forward, further into the room. The elevator pinged open again and the ex-SOLDIER twisted his head back to see Cloud.

Reno pulled back on Zack's bound hands, causing him to stop short. "Nope, no can do. Keep on walkin', buddy." The red-head swiftly shoved Zack forward, causing his legs to buckle. He continued to walk after regaining his footing.

"Zack!" Tifa yelled from across the room, also bound at the wrists with rope. Barret was with her, slouching, a blank stare on his face as he kicked the linoleum floor.

Zack closed his eyes. "So they caught you too," he said when Reno finally pulled him within talking distance to the AVALANCHE members. "Where's Aeris?"

Barret was the one who answered. "They caught her. Tried ta stop 'em, but the persistent bastards wouldn't lay off. Ain't feelin' too hot about not protectin' her wit' all she's done for Marlene, but we ain't gunna leave her here."

Tseng approached them. Red was tied up neatly at the head Turk's side, looking like a hog ready to roast. "There was no other possible way," Tseng stated, his face controlled under Zack's incredulous glare, "I told the experiment  _XIII_ to stop attempting to chew through the rope, yet he refused. This is what our SOLDIERs came up with. For preventive measures, of course."

"You've become even more of a bastard over time, I see," Zack spat.

This caused the older man to laugh. "Oh, Fair, you always were amusing. I haven't become more of a bastard than the last time we met. I became more fit for the role I was given. Do you fit your given role?"

"I worked hard for that! It wasn't just  _given_  to me, you fucking Turk!" If there had been poison in his stare, Zack was certain Tseng would be choking on his own tongue.

"Be that as it may, I don't believe we should keep the President waiting any longer. He wishes to see all of you together and I have no doubt this will most certainly please him. You and your friends, after all, have done extensive damage to Shinra Inc."

"But where is Cloud! Aeris! Shit, you didn't-"

Tseng nodded. "We have retrieved both specimens. I assure you they are safe. Safer than they were in your incompetent hands, anyway."

Reno pushed him forward once again.

* * *

Shinra smirked from his desk, straightening out his red suit. "It certainly is not a pleasure to see all of you before me, I assure you," he began, standing and pushing his chair from the desk. "I must say, you and the rest of AVALANCHE have caused quite a stir. I've wished for nothing more than to deal with you with my own hands." His eyes scanned the room.

"Tifa Lockhart, Barret Wallace, and Zack Fair, our own legendary SOLDIER First-Class. I was assured you had been locked in a basement for the past five years, but no matter. Your escape was well known and thus dealt with accordingly. The woman Turk who had allowed you to escape was executed for treason. We do not accept failure, Fair; you should know that."

The ex-SOLDIER felt a wave of nausea overcome him. Cissnei had done something heroic, allowing people who wouldn't have had a shot to get away. She had been such an amazing person, a good woman with a shining smile. Zack had dated her several times and while it never would have worked out, she was a good person. No wonder Reno was willing to save Zack. Shinra was more than corrupted; they were at the point of killing their own people.

This was disgusting.

"So, now you're killing your employees. Can't say I'm shocked."

The president laughed at the ex-SOLDIER's comment, moving from his desk to step directly in front of each captive. "Whatever you say, Fair. I do believe we would be willing to take you back if you wanted. You were one of the few SOLDIERs who showed potential. Isn't that right, Tseng?"

The Turk nodded curtly. "Yes, President," he answered automatically.

"Well," Zack stated boldly, "I'm not coming back. Now, where are Aeris and Cloud?"

The President smirked, returning to his chair, sitting himself down. "In a safe place." He picked up a pen and started scribbling on the bottom of a page. "She's the last surviving Ancient, you know; descended from the Cetra who lived thousands of years ago. Now they are just another forgotten page in history."

Zack heard Red, who was laying a few feet away, say, "Cetra? That girl, she's a survivor of the Cetra?"

_Ancient, Cetra-whatever. Aeris is still the girl I loved and cared about. It isn't like she's some alien monster like Jenova; just a scared woman who doesn't know what's going on and who she is._

The President nodded. "Yes,  _XIII_ , a Cetra. The Ancients will show us the way to the ' _Promised Land_ '. Personally, I'm expecting quite a bit out of her."

"But the ' _Promised Land'_ … Isn't that just a legend?"

Zack had only heard of legends of the Promised Land, which Red seemed to know quite a bit about. Zack took it at face value-a beautiful world with no pain and no monsters.

"Even so, it is far too appealing to not pursue. It is said the land is fertile. If the land is fertile-"

" _You muthafucka!"_  the black man roared, quick to comprehend Shinra's plan. "There's gotta be Mako's what you're sayin'. Ain't that right, you dirty scum-bag!"

"Quite. I am surprised. You of all people would see the opportunity in this wonderful land. Shinra will build a Mako reactor in its fertile soil, creating even more money for our company and energy for our consumers. Why do you look so displeased?"

"Mutha'fuckin' bastards, the whole damn lotta ya! That's the Planet's lifebloo'! You're stealin' it an' linin' your damn pockets wit' gold! It ain't right!" Barret fought against the chains around his wrists.

Zack tilted his head back and spat on the papers on the President's desk. "You pig," he snarled, violet eyes flashing as he glared at the man's red suit, staring at the place where man's greedy black heart should have been. "You're going to use them for gil? What  _are_ you? And how could you let this happen?" Zack directed this toward Tseng, who didn't even have the heart to look ashamed.

"I think we're done here, so it would be best for you to take these terrorists to their cells. Tseng," the President looked back down to his paperwork, "I believe I am finished."

Zack allowed himself to be pulled back by Reno, Several SOLDIERs who had been called in grabbed the other members, one nearly getting his face mask torn off my Red's sharp teeth.

"I ain't done wit' you, bastard!" Barret yelled.

Silently, Zack begged his companion to hold his peace. He knew there was only going to be so much screaming before one of the SOLDIERs bashed Barret over the head.

* * *

"Zack, are you asleep?" Aeris's voice drifted through the wall. They had been stuck in their cells for a few hours or so Zack gathered. The watch on his wrist was confiscated, like everything else he'd owned. Even the keycard in his pocket, which the guard hadn't noticed because it was miraculously shoved into his wallet, the side barely sticking out, was still there. Zack couldn't be sure as to why, because it was obvious what it was, but there was no way of him knowing. The best he could come up with was that the guard was either blind or... who knew.

"No," he answered, tired.

"Well, other people are," Cloud mumbled, his voice gruff from lack of sleep. He was locked in with Aeris, Zack had figured out a few minutes after being escorted into the cell. The walls weren't thick enough to block out the sound, thankfully.

"Sorry, Cloudy-boy. Just try to get to sleep. We'll be quiet."

"Hmph, yeah. You being quiet."

Zack banged his head lightly on the wall. "Oh, come on. Give a little faith. I'm thinking of how to get our asses out of here anyway. Give me a couple hours and I'll have some-"

"Half-assed plan," Tifa answered, sitting up from the bunker. Zack sent a half-glare at the woman, who ran her fingers through brown hair. She gave him a reproachful look. "You've never been good with last-minute plans."

From the other cell, Aeris chirped, "He never was! I figured it was perhaps one of those manly things that couldn't be avoided. He's a smart boy, though... and he's loyal and doesn't try to do stupid things. He just tries to do the right thing."

"I thought you were going to be quiet?" Cloud made a sound akin to smacking his head against the wall, much like the ex-SOLDIER had done moments before.

"Meh, maybe later. Hey, Barret!"

The black man in the other cell grunted. "What ya wan', Spiky?"

"Watcha thinkin' 'bout?"

"Your chick's an Ancient. They go by the Cetra and know where da Promised Land is, righ'? Them Shinra scum's lookin' for this place so they can suck it dry. I only heard stories 'bout it and don't know if it exists…" He took a breath, then plunged ahead, "Aeris, is it all true? Is there some place the Shinra scum's gunna go rape so they get money? It's gunna all get sucked up by those machines an' the Planet's gunna get weak and wither away. Ain't that right? Shit, I'm recruitin' when we get outta here! Y'all joinin' AVALANCHE and I ain't hearin' nuthin 'bout it. Even you, you, uh, dog."

"I'm no canine, and I don't plan on following you around like some common mutt. I'm going home to my grandpa."

Barret laughed hysterically.

Red growled.

"Your gramps! Funniest thing I eva' heard!" the black man chortled.

"And why is that funny?"

"No reason… ha ha ha."

Zack smacked his hand against his head. Who would tease a beast that could kill you as you slept? Certainly Barret didn't think in the long term.

"How long do you think we're going to be stuck in here?" Tifa asked, turning on the cot to look at Zack.

"Not sure how long they'll keep us here. I know that we won't have to deal with Hojo until tomorrow at best, with him being unconscious and all, but I couldn't tell you how long until they ship us off to the labs or execution chambers. Hope it's soon. I want to get outta here and kill that damn President."

"Would this be about that woman the President spoke of?"

"Yeah," he conceded. "Cissnei was one of the girls I dated way back when. Uh...before Aeris. A good lady, that Cissnei. Never thought they would kill their own Turk..."

Cloud answered. "Of course they would, Zack. They go through most Turks faster than wine at a dinner table. Remember the infamous Vincent Valentine? They said he disappeared but there's no way a Turk just disappears. They either die on the job or Shinra gets rid of them."

"And who told you about Valentine?"

"Don't remember. I think it was one of the older cadets. But it is true - Shinra has no problem getting rid of you when you lose your use."

"Well," Zack stood up, going over to the door, "I think Valentine must have been boning someone he wasn't supposed to. He was the best, according to all those records and there's no way he would just keel over and die. My friend... he told me a little about Valentine. Never sat with me right. Anyway, you better get to sleep. When those guys get here, I want to be ready to beat their faces into the ground."

Zack sat back down, this time against the door, and leaned his head back. Sleep would overcome him soon, he knew.

* * *

There was blood all over the floor. That was the sight that greeted him when Zack woke groggily. Laying on the floor of the open cell, he was no more than three inches away from a puddle of blood.

"What?" he opened and closed his eyes, thinking he was imagining things in his post-sleep haze. The blood didn't disappear but several black circles invaded his sight. He put one hand to the side, pushing himself off the ground, noticing too late that he'd placed his hand in the bloody mess.

He jerked his hand back. Granted, blood was a common thing, and he had gotten more in his mouth while training the younger crowd of SOLDIERs and now he was killing hundreds of army and SOLDIER men, but he hadn't expected there to be so much, especially on the floor. How could one human body bleed that much? How much did a body hold, anyway? Zack wiped off the red fluid on his pants, feeling the skin below shiver with displeasure.

It smelled of metal, Zack noticed as he wiped his fingers against his pants to clean them. The stench was overpowering in the hallway. Then, after a moment of standing in the center of the hallway, it registered that he wasn't in his cell anymore. A hallway smeared with blood, but it was still freedom.

He looked down the corridor to only see more red and the body of one of the night-patrol men laying on the ground, one of his arms a yard away. Zack felt his stomach curdle. Who could have done this?

"Tifa," he took a step back, whispering the woman's name. After a moment of silence he raised his voice louder, making her name echo in the close confines.

"What's happening?" Tifa yawned, her eyes barely opening, speech still slurred from sleep.

"Somebody just let us out and killed the guard outside," Zack said in a rush. "I need you to go get Aeris and Cloud. I'll take care of Red. Don't want you stepping on his tail and him biting off your face." He added the little joke to the end when he saw the woman's wine eyes widen.

"Somebody did what?" Tifa squeaked, jumping from the cot. Before the ex-SOLDIER could repeat himself she was already out the door. Her scream bounced off the walls of the Shinra prison, eliciting several grunts and one sleepy "Hmm?" from either Aeris or Cloud.

Zack rubbed his hand on his pants again before heading to the cell Barret and Red occupied. There was an incandescent bright green light over the door. When he touched it, it swung open with a small buzz.

"Get up. Someone's gone and killed the guard."

* * *

Blood was a horrible sight in the morning but it was even worse when it was accompanied by a few dozen bodies sprawled around the floor. Grisly tracks led up the stairs. It seemed as though the perpetrator had dragged a body, still bleeding, on his sword along the ground. There was more gore than Zack had seen in a long time.

It seemed to be the same with the others. Even Barret looked away from the body of a twenty-something woman whose head was only still attached because of a thin layer of skin.

"Ain't righ'," Barret said as he walked by, his face a little more sullen.

Aeris had looked at each body with pity, a few tears prickling her emerald eyes - tears of sympathy, Zack thought. Aeris always thought of others; the man's family would now no longer have a source of income, and children would be fatherless. She had seen many things in her life, more brutal than a man laying in his own blood, but it didn't stop her feeling of duty to somehow help. He hated seeing her cry but there was no way to shield the woman from the mess of mutilated bodies. There were too many and she wouldn't have any of it.

"Cloud, come help me with this, would you?"

The ex-SOLDIER grunted, pushing a desk out of the way. It seemed the people, who were now lying in their own blood, had attempted to block their attacker by piling office furniture in front of the doors, barricading themselves in. It hadn't worked and served as a nuisance for Zack to move out of the way, now that the group wanted to get through.

"Sure." The blond jumped over a broken chair. "Wonder how all of this happened."

Zack grunted. "I don't know about you, but I'd like to keep my head on my shoulders, otherwise I'd be chasing the sucker who did this down."

The two pushed the desk into a corner, allowing the others to pass. "Well," Cloud said, "I don't care as long as they got Hojo. Sick bastard."

"Highly doubt it. The Turks probably got him down to the infirmary. It's on the 42nd Floor. Doubt this whack-job started his killing spree all the way down there."

Zack walked forward, motioning for Cloud to follow.

"But," Cloud pointed out, "we've gone up two floors and there's still blood everywhere. Maybe he killed the President. I mean, look, the trail leads upstairs."

Zack noticed he was right; the blood trailed up the left stairway, to the room where Zack had been only hours before.

"Let's hope tha' scum's dead. If he ain't I'm gunna kill him wit' my own hands." Barret shot a few bullets into the large glass windows (there was a trail of blood that led to the window and up the side of the wall) and rather than shattering the glass, the bullets went straight through, leaving holes in their wake. Zack could have shoved his thumb through several of them.

"Well, we'll find out in a few minutes. Get yourselves ready," Cloud said as he pulled out his katana.

Zack followed his lead, drawing his Buster Sword. He had a point - if they went up there and saw the attacker, there was a pre-emptive strike waiting to happen. The guy had to be pretty damn powerful.

"Cloud's right. Should we happen across this murderer, I am not sure we will fare well without preparation," Red added, his fire-tipped tail glowing as it swished around Zack's knees.

"Bet the guy's high-tailed it outta here by now. I sure as Holy wouldn't stick around after killing a whole lot of people. I don't need to deal with more than one loon today."

"I guess we'll find out when we get up there," Aeris said, already sliding her materia out of her wrist bangle.

* * *

The floor was quiet.

The blood was gone.

Masamune was sticking out of the President of Shinra Electric Company.

Barret swore, "Shinra's dead. The fuckin' prez of Shrinra Inc. is dead."

Zack couldn't have put it better himself.


	11. Remember Three: The Time for Presents

# Remember Three: The Time for Presents

 

Tseng took a sip of his coffee and ignored Reno, who was standing on his desk stringing up Christmas lights.

"Do you even know what Christmas is?" Tseng asked the redhead, who shrugged his shoulders.

"It's an old tradition. Don't know much 'bout it, but I do know this fat-ass man in a red suit called Santa Claus squeezes down my chimney and gives me a shitload of presents." Reno pulled a broken cigarette from his pocket and shoved the filter into his mouth. Again, his hand dug into his pocket, this time producing a plastic lighter.

The older Turk took another sip of coffee. "I will send you the bill when you're charged with putting holes in the ceiling. Christmas decorations? Bright, oversized lights that randomly produce colors and flick on and off annoyingly? A fake Christmas tree in the corner?"

"But they  _are_  pretty damn cool." Reno inhaled a large amount of smoke. "Got you a present."

Tseng's eyebrows rose drastically. "Did you? I'm sorry to disappoint you, subordinate, but I don't take well to bribery."

Reno waved his hand in front of his face, nearly upsetting the balance of the desk. "Eh, no bribery. Wanted ta get my good ol' boss somethin' fun for Christmas. 'Tis the season to be spending money on shit anyway, right?" The red-head jumped from the desk, letting the unstrung Christmas lights go plummeting to the ground in an array of multi-colored brilliance. He ducked beneath his desk and pulled out a misshaped ball. The wrapping paper was tacky and covered with tape. It also weighed quite a bit, Tseng discovered when Reno threw it at him.

"Watch yourself," Tseng snarled as he caught the object.

"Oh, come on. It isn't like you weren't going to catch it anyway," Reno scoffed, slamming himself down into his chair. "And, you know, you're welcome."

Reno watched giddily as the man opened the present. When he did, it rolled across the table, clattering into his coffee mug.

"Get it?" Reno started, looking at the paperweight, "I know you needed one for all your shit, plus I know you like the chick in the picture."

Tseng scowled. "Why the hell is Aeris's head photoshopped onto a model's body?"

"Because you  _know_  sis has to look something like that underneath that nun outfit." Reno quickly grabbed the other bag underneath his desk and sprinted out of the room with barely enough time to dodge said paperweight.

* * *

Reno held the bag close to his hip and knocked on the door.

"Wait a sec," the person on the other side grumbled.

"Okay, toots, but you've gotta come get your Christmas present," Reno said in a sing-song tone, whistling, "and I  _know_  you're going to like it."

The door opened and the SOLDIER ran a hand through his raven hair. "What is it now, Reno? I hear talk about presents."

Reno dangled the gift in front of the SOLIDER, who stared at it hungrily. "Now, why don't you invite me in? It's rude ta have me standing outside of this place with you just lookin' so cute and stuff."

Zack rolled his eyes but obliged, moving over to the side to let the redhead into the apartment. "Do you want something to drink?" he asked.

"Vodka, straight up," came the instant reply. Reno tossed himself onto a nearby couch, putting the present on the coffee table. "And you aren't even supposed ta be able to get alcohol. Sneaky bastard."

"Hey, I didn't sneak it from anyone. If I remember correctly,  _you_  left it here. I want that cigarette," Zack said as he handed a half-full glass of straight vodka to the Turk, at the same time snatching the recently lit cigarette from his open mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, just steal my fuckin' cigarette." Reno didn't mind though; he had his drink and there was little more important than that.

"Don't bitch because you can't get everything you want," Zack pointedly stated, taking a deep drag on the cigarette. "I don't understand why you smoke this expensive stuff. Sure you've got the money, but it's a waste to spend it on shitty cigs. "

Reno shrugged his shoulders. "Eh. I like 'em. Don't give much of a damn if you do, too. Anyway, how was the date with that secretary?"

Zack took another puff. "Interesting. Thought she was a cutie but a complete psycho. Wanted to put chains on my wrists and let her cat scratch my back. Normally I'm up for just about anything but that was goin' a bit too far."

"What, you ain't into S&M?" The redhead could barely keep in a chuckle. "You never seem ta stop surprising me, toots." He then proceeded to finish his drink, smacking down the glass with one hand, and grabbing Zack with the other.

"So you're in one of those moods," the SOLDIER grumbled, pushing himself to an upright position. "At least let me open my present before you pounce on me."

Reno sighed dramatically. "Well, if you insist. Can't keep this up all day and I do think you'll like your present..." Presents were always interesting, whether they be gag presents like Tseng's, or not-quite-gag presents for Zack. With equal parts curiosity and trepidation, the dark-headed SOLDIER unwrapped the gift.

"Well, what do you think?" Nipping the teenager's throat, Reno had to admit his present was a little tasteless.

The boy coughed lightly. "Well, considering the fact you were the one to set me up with that secretary, I kinda had a feeling you were testing out the waters, right?" In his hand swung a pair of thick, fluffy handcuffs. Quicker than Reno even thought possible, the SOLDIER snapped it around the redhead's wrist then attached the other to the metal table.

"Son of a bitch!" the Turk snarled.

Zack laughed, pushing the man off the couch and onto the ground. "Well, looks like I'm topping tonight."

"You're a bitch."

Zack laughed, already undoing his jeans. "Nope. Sorry to disappoint but you're gunna be my bitch tonight."

 


	12. Remember Four: It's a New Year

# Remember Four: It's a New Year

 

Rufus took a sip of his champagne carefully, allowing the bubbles to slip down his throat. The clock had struck midnight and the streets of Junon had never been louder. Confetti sprinkled the ground below, the tapered hats and loud horns honking as people screamed and kissed their lovers.

The Shinra heir never enjoyed this particular holiday simply for the fact that his resolution had yet to take place. It was the same one he chanted each year at the stroke of midnight, washing it down with the over-priced champagne his father's money bought. The taste was of money, thick and corroding, the paper and ink seeping onto his tongue and down to his stomach. If there had ever been a taste Rufus hated, he would admit (only to himself) that it was the taste of that champagne every year, swallowed along with those same words.

"This year, the old man is going to die."

* * *

Tseng loathed the New Year's parties he was forced to attend. There was always expensive finger food and beverages, women wearing ridiculously expensive dresses, children playing with expensive toys and the President drowning himself in wine with Scarlet, who was not the most expensive thing in Shinra (but certainly pretended to be.)

Tseng picked up a well-crafted flute glass and gulped down the entire contents. "May this year bring a way of me getting out of the next party I am forced to attend."

* * *

Aeris sat at the kitchen table, fiddling with her napkin.

"Are you alright, dear?" Elmyra asked, pulling the cake out from the oven.

Aeris looked up, smiling. "Mom, I'm fine. Just sad that Zack couldn't stay for too long. They're shipping him out to Junon for a little while. I'm happy he came by though."

Elmyra smiled, slicing the hot cake, putting a piece on a plate before handing it to her daughter. "Well, there will be other New Years'."

Before Aeris took a bite, she slowly said, "Well, next year I hope that Zack will be able to eat your cake too and celebrate with me."

* * *

Cloud lay in his cold bunker, staring at the watch on his wrist. Grunts weren't allowed out of their rooms after nine so Cloud had decided to stare at his watch until it clicked over to midnight.

He looked away after a moment. The watch was blinking 0:00.

"Next year I'm going to spend my New Year's with someone besides myself. I'm going to be a SOLDIER."

* * *

Sephiroth stood next to Angeal and Genesis, the trio holding small shot glasses, clinking them together.

"It's been an interesting year," Sephiroth murmured, swinging his head back, taking in the alcohol. He placed the glass back on the table near the bottle of vodka.

"Yes, it has been," Angeal agreed, drinking half then after a moment swallowing the rest. He didn't let go of the glass.

_"'Legend shall speak_  
Of sacrifice at world's end  
The wind sails over the water's surface  
Quietly, but surely'"

Genesis took a small sip of the vodka before dropping it down to the ground, the liquid sloshing over the floor mixed with pieces of glass.

" _Loveless_."

* * *

It was their first real kiss.

Both holding cheap cans of beer, they kissed as the television proclaimed it was the new year.

Reno was content.

Zack was content.

For once, they sat together peaceably.

* * *


	13. Masamune

 

# Chapter Eight: Masamune

"Sephiroth?"

Zack knew the sword from the moment he laid eyes upon it. The strange, ethereal glow of the blade, the carvings on the hilt, twisting and turning in sharp points. He had, on more than one occasion, nearly fell to that sword. Now, it wasn't  _his_  body impaled, but that of the President of Shinra Inc. Funny, Zack realized, how your own weapons could turn on you.

"Looks like most of your problems just died, Barret," the ex-SOLDIER joked. "Except we're going to get the shit for this." Zack looked down to the ground, a few small laughs racking his body.

"We should get out of here before someone shows up and quest-" Cloud started, but was cut off by an obnoxious squealing.

Zack looked up where the sound had come from - behind a stone column - and on instinct grabbed at the moving object. Palmer squealed again and fought for freedom.

"Barret," Zack grunted when the fat man kicked at his leg, catching his ankle with the bottom of his expensive leather shoe. The black man glared menacingly, enough to daunt Palmer into standing still for a moment, before grabbing the horrified man's opposite arm. "So, Palmer... haven't seen your fat-ass in years. Care to explain what's going on?"

"Palmer, as in the Head of the Space Exploration Department?" Aeris asked Red, who stood near her feet.

"One of a kind, this man," Zack interjected. "Bastard if I ever knew one."

"Please don't kill me!" he whimpered pitifully. "I don't know what I saw, I swear!"

Cloud pulled out his katana. "So you have no clue why a sword is poking out of your boss's back? I'd say you did it but you seem to be too much of a spineless coward."

Zack squeezed a little tighter. "My thoughts exactly. Now, tell us what you saw or I swear Cloud will have some fun with that sword and I won't be able to stop him." The blond looked deranged enough to scare Palmer, who shrank as far into himself as he could. Spineless coward.

"It was Sephiroth! I swear it was him!"

Zack loosened his grip on the pig's arm for a brief moment, giving Palmer the window of opportunity to break free of both Barret and himself, running past Cloud. He flapped his arms wildly, running toward the balcony where a helicopter was already landing.

"Who in that?"

"No clue, but it can't be good. There's no way everyone knows about Shinra being dead," Tifa said, motioning to the window. "Whoever it is knows Palmer."

Zack sighed. There was only one person he could think of who would be at Shinra at the worst possible moment. "Rufus," he informed the group. "I'm willing to bet that's Rufus Shinra."

"Aw, shi'. Thought Shinra'd be over now tha' this waste o' flesh is dead. Now I gotta worry 'bout some punk-ass kid wit' sum' God Complex runnin' 'round?" Barret spat onto the floor.

"I heard no one's ever seen him bleed," Tifa started.

"Or cry," Aeris finished softly.

Red's voice was passive. "He's going to become the next president now that his father's passed on. I feel your problems are only beginning."

Zack turned to hear what Cloud had to say but the sight before his eyes was a tad unnerving. Cloud stood behind the dead Shinra president, gently pulling at the sword embedded in the flesh.

"I don't think it's going to come out, Cloud." Zack wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"But Zack... That's Sephiroth's sword. Why is Sephiroth's sword stuck in the president's back?" There was the barest hint of hysteria in the blond's voice. "Sephiroth couldn't do this, could he?"

"Sure Sephiroth could do that. He's a monster." Tifa turned, giving Cloud a disturbed look. "After all, what he did to us was worse than this."

Zack wanted nothing more than to cover the woman's mouth to silence her, but that, he knew, would lead to more consequences. Zack couldn't deal with the repercussions of his refusal to tell Cloud the truth... Not yet, anyway. There were more important things to do, things that didn't involve telling your closest friend that his idol had wiped out his entire hometown, murdered his mother, nearly killed his childhood crush and then sentenced him and his friend to five years in a vat of Mako.

No, it could certainly wait. The time for ruining childhood dreams was not now, especially with a blond man standing at the edge of the heli-pad, tapping his foot impatiently against the granite ground.

"I've got an idea." Zack twisted the hilt of his Buster Sword in his hands nervously. "There's a new president out there that needs a lil' AVALANCHE welcome, right? Well, we don't want to disappoint him."

* * *

The air on the balcony was cold, tinged with the wetness of an oncoming storm and the slick winter wind. It soothed Zack's hot skin, even if he himself could not detect his own body temperature. There was the musky smell of Mako and dirt in the air, a smell that stuck to clothes. Coupled with the breeze, it made an odd juxtaposition.

Upon first glance, Rufus Shinra seemed to be a man of few words and piercing stares. His blue eyes were sharp chips of ice – puddles of rain frozen over. Zack remembered those eyes, the eyes of a calculated genius staring through him during the few and thankfully far between meetings he'd been forced to endure during his time as a SOLDIER First Class.

Though the man wore white, it was not difficult to see how small his body was. Reno had once joked about the man, still a teenager six years ago. He could easily break if you touched him the wrong way, Reno had laughed. This was later proven false when Zack saw the boy take down six Wutaian ninjas with nothing more than a sawed-off shotgun. The Shinra heir had learned from the best in the business, after all.

Rufus stood staring over the side of the building. A dog, perhaps one of Hojo's experiments from the tentacles swinging from his skull, wagging like multiple tails, sat next to him. Rufus's strawberry blond hair was slicked back except for a stubborn streak in the front that blew in the wind. Except for the new, larger body frame, the man didn't look much different than he had six years before.

"I was beginning to think you would spend the rest of the night staring out that window." He flicked a cigarette, something Zack hadn't seen a moment before, from his fingers and over the side of the building. "Now, will you introduce yourselves or should I start guessing?"

"A flower girl from the slums."

"A breeding experiment."

"AVALANCHE member, ya scum!"

"Same here."

"Shinra... something or other."

Zack took a step forward, meeting Rufus's chilly gaze. "Ex-SOLDIER, but you knew that already. So, Shinra, what are you planning on doing now that you have all of Midgar under your thumb? I never thought anyone could do worse than your old man, but since you went through all of that Turk training I wouldn't be surprised. So, wanna share with the class?"

Rufus pursed his lips. "May I start by saying this is  _quite_  a crew. Now, how are you planning on leaving this building with your internal organs still in your body? Killing the President of Shinra does have its repercussions, though you won't see me complaining. After all, this has now given me sole ownership of the old man's assets... Palmer mentioned something about Sephiroth, but according to the media he has been dead for years. Dead men don't get up and kill off the President of Shinra, now do they, Fair?"

Zack saw Barret fly toward Rufus. With the sudden movement Rufus reached into his suit and pulled out his gun, pointing it between the AVALANCHE member's beady eyes.

"Tsk, Tsk. I figured you and your company would have some scrap of manners. Now, Wallace, control your temper. I want to give my speech. Is it that difficult to listen to your new president?"

"You jus' the prez' 'cause your old man croaked!" Barret seethed. 

Rufus smiled coldly. "That's how some of the most powerful men in existence have come around. Their fathers die, tragically some may say, and the heir takes power. My father ruled this world by money – I will be different. I will control this world with fear. There is no reason to waste money on people whose only contribution to this world is making the Shinra Power Company stronger. Harnessing our SOLDIERs and Turks, I believe I can make this world bow down to their newest leader, to me." He turned his gun towards Tifa, who had taken a step forward.

The woman's voice was acidic, "He likes to make speeches just like his father."

Zack looked over to Tifa, glaring sourly at Rufus, who continued to smile as if he had not a care in the world.

"I think his old man was just a little under his league though, don't you?" Zack hoisted the Buster Sword. "Now, it'd be best for you guys to go kick some ass out the door and get out of here. Think you can lead 'em, Barret, or should I make Red do it?"

"Why'd I do tha'?" Barret straightened, glowering at Rufus. "I wanna kick this puny bastard's lily-white ass."

Cloud beat him to the punch. "It's some big crisis for the Planet, Barret! Come on, we need to get outta here before the robo-guards and SOLDIERs show up," the blond stated harshly.

 _It's good to know that Cloud can at least pull his own,_ Zack thought as he watched Cloud motion for the group to follow him. Despite the situation, he smiled at the blond's ability to take charge when needed.

"Kick his ass and come find us," Cloud shouted as he ran by.

Zack nodded his head then turned to his opponent. "I plan on doing exactly that." The ex-SOLDIER smiled, showing his bared teeth like a wild animal.

* * *

The battle started when Rufus sent the canine to attack, attempting to take a chunk out of Zack's upper thigh. He barely had the chance to move as the black beast's teeth snapped precisely where his leg had been seconds before. The ex-SOLDIER wheeled back, delivering a swift kick to the beast's skull, sending the animal crashing into the side of the building.

During this time Zack was avoiding the bullets whizzing by his head, deflecting one with the Buster Sword. Rufus looked calm and collected, unmoving from his position on the balcony until Zack took his time away from the black beast to focus on the newest President.

"So, Fair, ever thought of coming back to the company?" the blond jeered as he let off several more bullets, unblinking when one of the shotgun shells grazed his left cheek. Zack dashed forward and thrust the blunt side of his sword at Rufus's legs. He barely avoided the crippling attack, jumping up onto the building's edge, pulling the trigger a few more times before jumping past Zack and landing close to the beast.

"Sorry, I almost killed your doggie. Your parents should have told you not to play with Hojo's specimens." Zack ducked left then lifted the Buster Sword to protect his face from another round of bullets.

Rufus sneered. "Dark Nation, why don't you treat our little SOLDIER to a bolt of lightning?"

Blue-white lightning bolts crashed into Zack's stomach, knocking the breath out of him.

"Well, that is all for now. You don't seem to be fairing very well. Hmph, perhaps it would be best for you to simply give up if even I can defeat you. SOLDIER First Class... you have fallen into a pit you cannot scratch your way out of." Rufus tossed his blond hair, not even a hint of sweat on his face. "Now, that is my helicopter. It was an interesting meeting," the sneer widened then Rufus added, "Dark Nation, come."

A helicopter swooped down. Zack barely had time to curse before the President and his companion were safely aboard and fast drifting out of sight.

* * *

Zack had once been strong enough to kill behemoths by the dozen, destroy summon monsters thrown at him, even able to hold his own against the three Legends of SOLDIER. Now he was undermined by one puny blond with a shotgun. He trudged down the stairs, seeing Tifa standing near the door, tapping her foot on the ground, both arms crossed.

"Zack! Hurry up!" she yelled when she gained sight of him, prompting Zack to turn his moody walk into a slow jog.

"What're you doing here? I thought you were going with Cloud and the others," Zack panted, leaning up to see if the others were hiding somewhere behind the woman. They were not there.

The woman motioned for the door, "We've got to leave! Cloud just came by a second ago and told me that we need to get down to the first floor as quickly as possible. I don't have any keycard, so we're going to have to run it. You ready?"

Zack sheathed his sword, shaking his head. With his other hand he reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. Everything had been tossed into one of the storage closets near the cells. He silently thanked Reno and his bipolar tendencies, sliding the keycard out, dangling it in front of Tifa's eyes.

"I really don't like running around, toots."

* * *

_So, at this moment, I really, really owe Reno Sinclair every damn thing under the sun,_ Zack thought, looking out of the glass elevator, watching the darkness shrouding the sky. The air as the descended back down to the first floor seemed to become thicker, smoggier. It weighed heavily on his shoulders and Zack fought the urge to stomp his foot on the ground, knowing he'd look like a child throwing a tantrum.

Tifa clucked her tongue. "So, who gave you that?" she gestured to the keycard, which in all of its plastic glory smirked up at Zack from between his fingers. It was beginning to grow warm and slick with a few drops of perspiration. Zack looked down at the small words - 'Shinra Electrical Company' – and saw a few small bar codes and a number, followed by the name 'Sinclair, Reno'.

"Err, found it on one of the guards way back, y'know. Yeah, found it in the guy's hand and figured it would be useful."

 _Liar. You're not even that_ _ **good**_ _of a liar, Zack. Take some lessons from that Turk and maybe you could convince others,_ his mind chimed in and the black-haired man had to restrain himself from slamming his head down onto the cold glass.

"Oh. Well, that's good. I think it's starting to rain." Tifa let the subject drop though Zack could hear the twinge of doubt in her voice.

Shrugging, he said, "It probably isn't. That's just all the pollution and shit they're sending into the sky. It makes it look like storm clouds but they never let out rain. They just make the place look gloomier."

Tifa was looking at him, a small frown marring her face. She opened her mouth once then twice until she just nodded and drew her eyes back outside. "My mom used to tell me that Nibelheim had been pretty, once... I never got to see that. You remember that mako stream we found, back in Nibelheim? They took that blue away."

_Blue Shinra took away._

"I might not be a genius but I get your drift. What about it?"

Tifa pursed her lips. "Don't do anything, Zack. Just leave it be."

Zack smirked, shaking his head. "My hands are full, doll. Wouldn't try anything, anyway."

"Yes, yes, you would."

_Blue._

* * *

When the elevator door slid open, Zack was greeted with the comical sight of Aeris, giddy with happiness, jumping up and down as Barret attempted to shoot holes into the walls, all bouncing off and clinking to the ground.

"It worked!" she smiled proudly, turning to Zack.

Aeris gave a brief laugh as Barret swore, lowering the gun. "Nuthin' gettin' through that sucker, Aeris!"

"Well, that's a relief! Thank you, Mister Barret!" she replied, waving her hands in the direction of the burly AVALANCHE member. Turning back to Zack, she continued, "I was able to get a Barrier set up... my magic, it let me control it... I hope it lasts until Cloud comes back."

The saliva in Zack's mouth dried. Where had he gone? Surely he wouldn't be stupidly heroic and try to take on all the SOLDIERs who must have been waiting outside. Cloud was strong but if a pipsqueak new president could take Zack down then it wasn't hard to think of what could best the blond.

"What do you mean 'until Cloud comes back?' He didn't go out there, right?"

Barret answered. "Naw, shi'. You think I'm gunna let the lil' runt go runnin' out there and try an' take on that many guys? I might not like him sometimes but I ain't gunna let him go kill himself."

Tifa strode forward, looking around. "But where is he? And where's Red?"

"Cloud said something about stealing and Red figured it would be best for him to follow. I can't see Cloud as having sticky fingers, can you?"

"Well, I can actually." Zack smiled, "He's pretty good at it - or better than his shot at least."

Not two minutes later, a large blue truck bounded down the stairs with a petrified Red sitting in the back, bobbing up and down. A determined expression on his face, Cloud sat in the cab, fingers turning the wheel to keep the vehicle from tipping to either side.

"Stop this monstrosity!" Red yelled as was thrown about again. Zack had to restrain a deep, bellowing laugh.

"I am! Quit yapping!" Cloud gritted out. The truck swerved off the stairs and before it was able to crush anyone the blond stomped his foot on the brakes, stopping a few meters in front of Zack.

"Nearly made minced meat out of me!" He tilted his head to watch a wobbly Red jump from the back of the vehicle, his hind legs shaking violently. "You okay there, buddy?"

Red snarled. "Perfectly fine," he sat himself on the floor to conceal his shaking limbs, "though I have met better drivers. I don't trust him with a scooter."

"That's your opinion," Cloud grumbled, "I drive perfectly fine as long as it's on an actual road, not a flight of stairs. Pardon me for not being able to cater to your high standards."

Zack laughed again. "Aw, Cloudy's getting a little hurt by the big, bad doggy." He walked forward, smashing his hands against the blond's protesting cheeks. "But Zacky won't let the mean little beast eat poor Cloudy-woudy."

"I don't think faces are supposed to look that way," Aeris laughed.

Miffed, Cloud shook his head, catching Zack off guard. "I don't think Red's a dog. What I  _do_  think is that Aeris isn't going to be able to keep this barrier up for much longer. It looks like it's already cracking." He pointed to the iron door, where a small materia-sized hole was beginning to form behind the barrier. "We should get going."

"But there's no way you're going to fit all of us in that truck," Tifa pointed out, motioning to the blue vehicle.

Cloud tossed the keys up into the air, then to Tifa. "Oh, I know that. I've handled everything, Tifa. You just need to drive the truck. I got Zack and me something else," and at this, the blond grabbed Zack by the wrist, dragging him behind the truck.

A new motorcycle sat in the back of the truck, the black paint shining like onyx. The ex-SOLDIER felt compelled to kiss the shining black beauty though Cloud's presence and the inevitable teasing he'd get for it deterred him.

He must've been grinning because Cloud had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "See, I'm not a total moron. I'll be driving, you'll get to swing your sword. That work for you?"

"I won't be able to drive her?" Zack stretched forward, petting the leather seat.

"No way I'm letting you have that much fun," Cloud said lightly.

* * *

Perched on the backside of the roaring bike, Zack brandished his sword, ready to attack at a moment's notice. The blue truck was a few feet behind, Aeris's keen eyes darting in every direction.

Zack mentioned the lack of enemies to Cloud. Without taking his eyes off the road, the blond yelled over the rush of wind, "Who knows what they're thinking. We're nearly up to the highway."

A few buildings passed by, all darkened. It was eerie, to say the least, Zack thought. Midgar was never this quiet; there was always something, no matter how minor, floating around the city. "They're waiting, like they always do," Zack mumbled, tightening his hand on the hilt. "Just watch. When we get to the highway there's going to be dozen-"

"Looks like we've got company," Cloud cut in and pulled on the throttle.

The black-haired man jerked his head to look over his shoulder. "Oh, I was right."

Cloud's voice was strained, "About everything except for the dozen part. I'm going straight through them. Warn the others to just plow on after us and not stop for anything."

"Jeez, Cloud, make it sound like they're going to kill us," Zack whispered, not loud enough for the blond to hear over the deafening exhaust and the rattle of nearly a hundred other motorcycles. He made a short one-handed signal to Aeris whose face turned ashen. The brunette turned to say something to Tifa, who then slammed her foot down on the gas, catapulting the blue truck into the next lane, past the bike and pulled into their lane.

"What in Holy's name are they doing!" Cloud bellowed as he quickly swerved to the side. Zack had to grip his thighs down to the leather to prevent himself from being forcefully bucked off. Carefully, he turned himself around, fumbling only once, so he could face the same direction as Cloud.

He leaned forward, putting his lips close to Cloud's ear. "They're going to be running their asses over with the truck so we can get by. Don't panic so damn much, Cloud." A few strands of blond hair tickled Zack's face. Exhilarated, he smiled.

* * *

Zack swung his sword to the side, slashing the tires of yet another grunt's bike. The orange vehicle sped off to the side, colliding harshly with a guardrail and the grunt's body flew over the side. The same scenario had panned out so many times, Zack thought as he turned to see Cloud's hair streaked with the blood of their enemies. "Sorry 'bout that," he grinned.

"Quit making a mess." The blond took his left hand from the bike and rubbed blood from his eyes.

"It isn't just me. How many damn bodies have you run over with this beast?"

"Too many to count. Now quit talking to me and swing your damn sword!" The blond jammed his foot on the brake, angling the motorcycle to the right, narrowly avoiding another motorcyclist riddled with bullet holes in the process.

Zack turned back to the road, noticing the assorted colors covering the asphalt. "There can't be many left. Get in front of the truck so I can see if there're anymore up there."

Cloud obeyed, getting the motorcycle in front of the blue truck, the front of which was spattered with red. "Doesn't look like anyone's up there," he stated, "but we've run out of road."

"What!" the ex-SOLDIER shouted, sitting up. Several ' **Danger! Do not enter!** ' signs were hanging from the guard rails, signs that Zack barely had time to notice. Before his eyes, the road opened into air.

"Shit!" Zack yelled as the bike screeched to a halt a few feet away from the edge. The heavier truck slid past and stopped less than an inch from the sudden drop, every face in the vehicle looking pasty white. That wasn't what worried Zack though. Pursuing them came a large mechanical beast, large guns equipped to its arms, the spikes leaving gaping holes in the highway.

After a brief moment Zack jumped from the bike, Cloud snapping up with his katana already poised before him. An enormous fireball few from the monster's arm and the truck's occupants scattered, vacating the vehicle at super-sonic speed. When the fireball hit a moment later, the entire vehicle burst into flames.

"Use Ice and Lightning!" Zack yelled at the women, "You aren't going to be able to land a punch." Aeris nodded, popping out a deep green materia, her eyes already shut in concentration. Tifa, on the other hand, tossed a piece of materia to Red, who caught it in his mouth.

Barret was already shooting various holes into the robot to little effect - one of its arms was reflecting an enormous amount of the lead back at the group. "Aw, shit!" Barret yelled, taking cover near the truck's remains.

Zack turned to give orders to Cloud until he noticed the blond was already in front of the monster, his eyes filled with blue electricity, katana a blur. The robot gave an awful lurch to the side, releasing a sound close to nails screeching on a chalkboard. It was a familiar sound, one Zack had heard in the reactor. Was it just him or did all Shinra-made robots create that Gaia awful sound?

Four spells whizzed by Zack's head as he pushed the sword into the gaping hole Cloud had created, a chunk of ice narrowly missing his head. He pulled the Buster Sword from its prey. Barret blew more bullets into the hole Zack had just enlarged, making the ex-SOLDIER shout a quick, "Watch where you shoot!" as another bolt of lightning crashed near him.

"Argg!" Cloud yelled, the lightning-bolt shredding the insides of the monster, one last fireball being launched at the blond. Zack tried to grab the blond, to pull him away from the heat, but his body was sent reeling back from the force of the impact.

The Roller Ball shot back, its internal wiring exploding, the blue sparks slashing out from its center. It was dead, or at least disabled, but that was something Zack was not worried about. The crumpled body on the ground surrounded by fire was more important than the dead robot.

"Shit, Cloud!" Zack yelled, watching Aeris sent an ice spell at the fire, causing thick smoke to spew from the dying embers. "Shit, what was that?"

A deep cough came from inside of the smoke. "Moron," the voice grumbled, "it was a fireball, if you hadn't noticed."

Zack reached forward, his eyes and nose filling with the dark smoke, and grabbed blindly for Cloud's body. "You in there Chocobo-head?" His fingertips touched skin - Cloud's hand, Zack noticed after a second - and he pulled at the blond.

"No, Zack. I'm hiding in the car, waiting to go home."

It was good to know the blond's attitude hadn't disappeared.

The second thing the black-haired man noticed was that the ends of Cloud's hair were fried and black soot was covering his face. There were cuts adorning the blond's body and a gouge in the purple material of his shirt.

Aeris clapped her hands together, summoning a green light to caress Cloud's battered form. "Thank goodness! You had me worried for a moment."

Cloud grumbled under his breath. Zack discerned "stupid fire" and "I'm not gonna to die. I'm not that weak."

Cloud rolled his blue eyes.

_Blue._


	14. Marked

# Chapter Nine: Marked

**Do you remember anything now?**

" _I really hate when you flirt with those women. It makes me feel like I don't belong with you. Like I'm not good enough for you." Aeris folded her hands in her lap, green eyes avoiding his face. "I understand; Tseng has told me about you, that you're a real 'ladies man', but I don't see how I fit. I'm not special or beautiful." One hand moved delicately from her lap to the flower basket beside her._

**You seem to be getting worse with time.**

_Battlefields were never warm. There was a lingering scent of death to them, a scent of freedom snuffed out like a candle. Smoke billowed up from the trenches as the Shinra burned their dead. It was the one time that never changed from day to day, the cremating of the fallen SOLDIERs._

_Grunts were not worthy of such an honor._

_There was a moment of silence then the war-torn bodies glazed in kerosene would be lit._

_The opposing side thought it was dirty._

**I think a kid could** **do better than you. What do you think?**

_The room was dark and cold, the liquid from the glass spilled all over the floor, the glass scattered on the linoleum. There were red splotches in the corner of the small kitchen. A knife was lying haphazardly on the floor._

" _I killed him," he whispered, fingers clenched._

" _You didn't mean to," the second man stated, staring out at the blood-stained knife._

" _Yes, I did." There was a moment of silence between the three men. "I did mean to."_

" _Don't feel sorry. I only wish I had done it myself._ _Get the bleach out from under the sink," the first ordered, his trained eyes never leaving the corpse._

" _But.. fuck, I did it."_

" _Listen to him right now; this isn't something you're going to be able to deal with on your own. If we can get the body out of here then everything will be fine." A chaste kiss was placed on the horrified man's forehead. "It'll be fine."_

_The other kneeled, touching his fingers to the corpses neck._

" _Is he...?"_

" _Dead?" he stated, wiping his fingers on the corpse's jacket. "Oh, I don't think you could have killed him any better, really."_

" _The end of the world is brought by the duel of the beasts. The Goddess shall fall from the darkest sky. Spreading her wings of light and darkness, she shall lead us to our paradise, along with her gift."_

" _Really, this isn't good time to be doing that."_

**I have to say, you are getting closer.**

* * *

Zack woke with a headache. His mind was swimming with strange dreams that made no sense, memories he knew nothing of, feelings he'd never felt. His hands felt like they had held the entire world for an eternity.

The sun was rising from the east, coating the city of Midgar in a spectacular glow. There were so many scenes, all beautiful in their own way, but the look of Midgar in all of its polluted glory would be a haunting image in Zack's mind. The way the sun hit the clouds of grime turned the scene surreal, like the city was not a part of this world but the next. Surely ugly things could sometimes be considered beautiful, even coated by that foul light.

Tifa tugged down her skirt from where it had begun to hike up at the back. Her hair was mussed and dirt and grime ran in streaks down her face where perspiration had left its mark. Even looking like a warrior with bloodstains on her leather gloves, she still looked small.

"You ready to go?" she asked. "I thought we'd just stop for a little while but you kinda fell asleep. We need to get going or we won't get to the next town for a week."

Zack nodded. Tifa's words rang in his skull long after they had been spoken. She, the woman who had screamed of hatred toward Shinra, hatred toward Sephiroth, hatred toward himself, wasn't as strong as she made herself out to be. Still fragile, even if her fingers could crack bones and her legs could deal lethal kicks. She had killed dozens. nowhere near as many as he had, but she was afraid of losing the 'blue.'

' _Blue'... what on the Planet was she talking about?_ Zack thought. He had never indicated that he thought of Cloud in such a way. It was Cloud, a twenty-one year old man stuck in a teenager's body with a personality to match. It was Cloud, someone who Zack was willing to lay down his life for, a boy who, insane at the time, had saved his closest friend from the same fate. Heroic Cloud.

_Sure, I care about Cloud, but since when do I want to take him away from Tifa? Why would I do that? Cloud loves her, and I love Aeris. It's a simple as that._

"Yeah, we should get going soon," Zack responded as he stood, looking around. "Anyway, where's Aeris?"

Tifa touched her hair. "Er, I think she and Cloud are scouting for monsters."

The ex-SOLDIER jumped up, already reaching for his sword. "Which way?" He didn't mean to sound so worried.

The woman laughed. "Well, aren't you protective. They went north with Red. Don't worry about them. They aren't going to get eaten by any rogue beast."

Zack's violet gaze turned northward, eyes skimming the distance critically. "Hey, 'protective' is my middle name. Wouldn't be me without it, now would I?"

"That's for sure."

* * *

"You know, this walking is really boring," Cloud commented, scratching his head.

Zack continued to push forward, not looking behind. "Aw, I dragged your ass through this place. The least you could do is walk it. Has anybody dropped dead yet?"

A muffled reply came from Tifa, "So tired. Need water."

"Water. Food," Aeris answered. "Sleep."

Barret grunted.

Red, who was the only one besides Zack and Cloud who didn't look about to pass out, didn't say anything, but he was panting lightly.

"This has gotta suck for you. Your race doesn't have sweat glands, now do they?" Zack joked, jumping up a little. There hadn't been much talking - even teasing made some type of sound. The quiet, open road was haunting and… Cloud was right. It  _was_  boring.

Red glanced up. "Correct. Our race does not have said glands, thus we do not sweat."

"So what exactly  _is_  your race?" this was Cloud.

"We are a select few, a dying race. A mix between human and Gi, a neighboring tribe in Cosmo Canyon of ferocious monsters who took human women and men as their slaves. In my great country, we answer to nature. Our ways are very different from city dwellers." The red-furred beast took in a deep breath and let it out with a single pant. "Our race has dwindled... I am, as the Professor has stated, the last known of my kind."

The air was stagnant, heavy with the knowledge Red had just imparted on AVALANCHE.

Red sniffed the ground. "Oh, pity is one thing I need none of. You questioned and I answered. It isn't as important as you seem to think. Maybe I will end up mating with a human, and siring children. Probably not... The Gi race has ended and I... I am the last of their torturous deeds."

"So, you  _can_ have, you know, sex, with humans?" Tifa's voice was squeaky.

Zack snickered.

Red rolled his one good eye. "It isn't too hard to believe, is it? I don't ask you about your sexual encounters." Tifa had the decency to splutter an apology. Red continued, "Cross-species are nothing new, I might tell you. Aeris herself is a halfbreed. SOLDIERs are not completely human. Still, you do not consider your friend Zack a fiend. You should hold a belief that, even when one would look different than yourself, they are not different underneath. Blood should account for little in this world."

To prove a point, Barret snorted and said, "Yeah, an' your gramps ain't so differen', now is he?"

The red-furred beast growled, causing Zack to laugh. "Ignore big-head over there."

"'Big-head'? Wha' you talkin' 'bout, ya lil' punk? I'm the leader here and your ass better follow my rules."

Zack stopped walking, a small smile planted on his face. "You weren't voted in, Boss-man."

The rest of the travelers stopped. Aeris managed, "Zack's– _huff_ – right–  _puff_ – need– _huff_ – vote–"

"Votes?" Cloud questioned.

"Zack," Tifa mumbled.

"I wish to have no part of this," was Red's vote.

Aeris followed Tifa's example, "Zack," she said after taking in a few more deep breaths.

"Barret, I kinda think you lost." Zack took a few steps toward the older man, reaching to pat the man on the shoulder. "Do you take this as a graceful defeat?"

The AVALANCHE leader spat onto the ground. "Aw, shi'! Even you, Tif? Damn, gotta keep my cool; whateva', do what ya wan'. Don't come complainin' when Spiky gets your asses eaten by somethin'."

* * *

Kalm was a town in what seemed to be a far-away nation to Midgar. The outside of the town was fields of vegetation, a nearby river feeding fish into the town. It was one of the bigger towns considering the dozens of small villages nestled between each city. Housing thousands of people, it was the biggest place within a few hundred miles and a mountain range.

"This place is so small," Aeris smiled, putting her fingers to her lips.

Zack nodded. "Oh yeah, this place hasn't grown at all. Still got the Academy but otherwise... Still as small as it was back then."

"'Back then?'"

"Sephiroth," Cloud answered monotonously, his booted foot tapping on the ground, "The last time you were here it was because of Sephiroth, right? I want to know... I want to know what happened at Midgar. I want to know why the president was killed and what Sephiroth has to do with it."

"I agree wit' Chocobo-head. I wanna know what the fuck is goin' on 'round here. Fuckin' presidents dyin', swords shoved in people's backs, I don't know what to do anymore. You've all gone fuckin' quack on me."

"I know," Zack said softly, "I already have an idea. We better get to the Inn, I think it isn't too far away." He motioned to a rickety building a dozen or so meters away.

"You're going to tell us everything?"

"Yes, Tifa, I'll tell you guys whatever you want."

 _Sometimes, being Zack_   _Fair sucks._

_Cloud is going to hate me._

* * *

The second floor of the inn was small. Three beds stood in one corner of the room, a small nightstand between each, a bureau tucked away in the corner and a small desk underneath the window. Aeris sat on the floor cross-legged, picking at her dirty dress. "Zack, I need you to buy some things later on. I know we don't have much money, but we need some survival basics. The last walk was terrible: no tents, no food other than the wild things you and Cloud were able to catch, cold nights and rainy mornings. If we plan on doing anything more then it would be best for us to get some things," she coaxed.

"Sure, but why are you sitting on the floor?"

A tinge of pink suffused her cheeks. "I don't want to get it dirty," she squeaked, pulling at one of the mangled corners of her pink dress. The bottom button was missing, Zack noticed, a small, sly smirk spreading across his face.

"Well, you don't have to be in them, you know," he winked leisurely, watching the pink turn to a deep maroon. He leaned down, smelling her flowery brown hair. The pleasant hint of her shampoo was gone, replaced with the deep musky smell of sweat.

"Don't joke like that, Zack! The rest will be back soon," Aeris chided, her voice quivering.

He shrugged and said off-handedly, "Hey, it isn't my fault they refused to sit down until they got some food. I'd be with them, but Tifa suggested I should stay up here in case someone noticed me. Really, what are they thinking? It's been, what, six years? They should be more worried about themselves. Kalm really isn't into travelers, especially a weird group like us." Zack stretched and stood. His feet carried him to the window, the curtains of thin cotton swinging in the breeze. Delicately, Zack pushed the material away, looking out at the vast expanse of town.

Contrary to what Zack had remembered, the town was much sadder than it had been before. Time had taken away from the dying town and culture: the rich colors of the Kalmian's dresses were sun-bleached and dirtied by hard labor, the plowed land much less green, the fumes of pollution lingering overhead from the western breeze from Midgar seemed more prominent. Less people mingled in the town; more boarded-up homes and small businesses, more drunks. Zack heard of a problem with the Mythril Mines. Men would travel out wielding iron picks and hard hats only to stumble back, half-dead from attacks by monsters that roamed inside. There were far more of these incidents nowadays, it seemed.

"So, I guess that's that. You don't want poor little Zack." He tried his puppy-dog face, bright eyes downcast. One hand moved to rest wistfully on the windowpane.

**Puppy, you've become a SOLDIER First Class and you still chase after your own damn tail.**

Zack shook his head. Out of the corner of his gaze he saw Cloud and Tifa, both carrying large packages in their hands, Red, who had several brown sacks slung over his back and Barret with two large boxes on his shoulders. Cloud and Tifa were talking; they had uneasy expressions on their faces that he chose to ignore.

"You know I plan on going after Sephiroth, right, Aeris? It's going to be dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt."

She must have gotten up while his mind wandered because when he turned around the flower girl was standing in front of him, green eyes filled with compassion. She lifted her hand and gently traced her thumb along the skin beneath Zack's eye, feeling the contours of his face.

"I know," she admitted then her voice sharpened, "but I don't care."

* * *

Zack sat in the chair, gazing at the faces of his comrades. "I'm going to tell you this because I need you to understand why we did the things we did," he shook his head and corrected himself. "Why SOLDIER did the things they did. Believe me, this isn't the last crime Sephiroth will commit. I didn't even know he was still alive..."

He paused. The others looked on, wordlessly urging him to continue.

"They all said me and Cloud were dead, too." There was a quick intake of breath from the aforementioned blond. Zack glanced a him, hating what he was about to do. "I'll explain what in Holy I'm talking about, but it's going to be a long-ass story. I suggest you get comfortable. There's no way of knowing how long this is going to take."

Taking a deep breath in, Zack began to explain.

* * *

_It was a cold morning. I remember vividly the thin wisps of breath in the air, the chill in my lungs. I was assigned to the Nibelheim mission after an incident in Midgar. An amazing SOLDIER First Class known as Genesis had gone AWOL and I was one of many searching for him. There was no way such a strong guy could be taken down by a monster; there was more chance of the moon colliding with the Planet than of a legendary SOLDIER falling. I thought I killed him, but it hadn't worked out exactly as I thought it did. There was something weird going on with most of the reactors, so it was best to be safe than sorry._

_Genesis, Angeal, Sephiroth - all three SOLDIERS, the strongest of their kind. Killing machines in the war against Wutai, or so the stories said, these three guys were able to bring the strongest world power at the time to their shaking knees. Ninjas, assassins, monsters; nothing could kill these guys. I've fought each of them and they would have killed me had I been just a smidge more unlucky, a moment too late in one move. People both feared and admired these guys, these so-called 'heroes' who civilians put on god-like pedestals. I thought they were heroes too. They were my idols._

_I had known Angeal the longest: he was my commanding officer, my mentor, and, after many bruises, someone I considered a close friend. He didn't hang out with anyone besides his two friends and myself, always submersed in work, never wanting to get drunk or laid. I kinda thought he was a little too dedicated to his work, too dedicated to the other two… I don't know, intimidating. More devoted to his friends than the Shinra Company. He told me that Shinra was the means to an end, something akin to a stepping-stone to cross a lake. His friends had the same idea._

_Pride was an important thing to Angeal. His father had given his life to create the Buster Sword so he hated to getting blood on it. Still, on more than one occasion that sword was the only reason I survived. I felt kind of bad the first time I killed someone with it after I had been gotten a hold of it - I scrubbed the blood off, polishing and polishing until my whole arm ached._

_But on that morning as far as Shinra was concerned both Angeal and Genesis were the most wanted men on the Planet (the reports swarmed in that Angeal wasn't as dead as I believed him to be...) I cared, of course, risking my life on more than one occasion to try to bring Angeal back. He had sprouted a white wing, a beautiful innocent wing created from his mutated DNA. I knew only because I was a SOLDIER First Class. Any weakness was mandatory to know, accept, and then to be used against them._

_All for Genesis, his best friend. I had never had that close of a friend, a friend I was willing to die for. Genesis was sick, some horrible mutation, and Angeal was willing to go to the ends of the world to find out how to fix him. I remember Sephiroth, in one of his few really talkative moods telling me how they had found out about this mutation._

_It had supposedly been a normal battle while the SOLDIER Second Classes were gone. The training room was a place where most of their amusement spawned. It had been their usual bickering, Genesis quoting the play '_ _**Loveless** _ _' numerous times, spewing on and on about how he wanted to be a hero and that the play would give the three the powers of the world. Of course, I kinda zoned out, but I did understand that the fight became much more dramatic than it had started out, Sephiroth and Genesis dealing would-be fatal blows to one another. There had been an accident; Angeal thought that the two had gone too far, and to stop the fight he put himself in front of them, sword drawn. Genesis's sword sliced right through Angeal's Junior Buster and the shards gashed Genesis's shoulder open._

_This wasn't a big deal. It was almost customary for one to walk out of the training room leaving it in shambles, lights and electronics whizzing and smoking, but this was worse. Even after seeing the professor, the wound wouldn't heal. I always figured one of the reasons Angeal had gone after Genesis was because it was his own sword, his own weapon, which created the entire problem. I'd never known that kind of guilt and I never wanted to._

_The Nibelheim mission was supposed to be easy: get to the town, kill monsters, find out what was causing the monster population to spike and then get out. A pretty simple mission, one that really wouldn't need two SOLDIER First Classes, but I wasn't going to judge._

" _Hey, Cloud, you okay?" I asked the grunt, who was holding his stomach in pain, rocking back and forth on the box he was situated on._

_The boy managed to grumble out a quick, "Unngh."_

" _Guess not. Why don't you take off your mask and get some fresh air. I can tell the guy in the front to pull over if you need to yack. We've got another two hour drive, right, Sephiroth?"_

_I looked inquisitively towards the Legendary General, who stared clinically at Cloud. "Should he vomit, I will not be cleaning it up. Best make sure you make it outside of the truck." His cat-like eyes were disinterested. He returned his gaze to the small book in his hand._

_Cheerfully, I patted the teenager's thick mass of blond hair. "See? He might seem kinda scary but he's more bark than bite, right?" The glare I received from the man caused my hand to drop. "Okay, maybe I lie a little, so what? Cloudy here needs to make sure he doesn't get sick anywhere near you. I remember An-"_

_The sharp glare made me drop my eyes. Stupid thing to say considering every time the silver-haired General heard one of his comrade's names he winced. Never was I supposed to bring them up in front of others. If anyone had known of our attempts at protecting the two SOLDIERs, rather than our 'failure' of catching them, life would be unbearable. SOLDIERs who disobeyed orders didn't survive long, no matter their class._

_Cloud was the one to shake me out of the trance. Retching noisily, he was barely able to get the back doors open and lean his head out the side._

" _Aw, shit. He blew. Lee, pull the fuck over!" I yelled as I got to my knees next to the boy, watching the ground below slow to a stop. Cloud gagged a few times, a stream of sick streaming onto the ground. "Okay, get it all out. Next time we've got to get into a car don't let me force you into eating before going."_

_Cloud cocked his head back, spitting onto the ground. "Warned you," he mumbled, "can't eat."_

" _It would seem that your motion sickness is the least of our worries. Fair, I believe we have found one of those monsters." Sephiroth pulled out Masamune, pointing the thin tip in the direction of a large dragon that had just ambushed us. It growled and stomped its clawed feet. A stream of fire spewed from its mouth, incinerating another small monster nearby._

_I winced. "Oooh, that doesn't look fun. Well, now I can at least try out my new materia!"_

" _Such a puppy, just like he said you were," the General jested._

* * *

" _I feel as if I have been here before," Sephiroth murmured, his silver eyes scanning the small town. There were a few dozen buildings, in the northern-most part a dark mansion loomed like a cloud of smoke in the brightness. The place had an uneasy feel to it, an uncomfortable ringing in the air, and the stench of mako invaded my nostrils. A few children looked out from their windows at the commotion. Some were quickly pulled inside by worried parents for their curiosity._

" _This is your hometown, correct?" This question was directed at Cloud, who looked nervously around. "Please, do not stand there with your foot in your mouth. I am not a monster. Talk as you see fit."_

_I had to laugh at the nervousness the blond exhibited._

" _Er, yeah, this is my first time back here in quite a while. Looks a bit darker, but the air is still the same."_

_I coughed. "Damn, you've had an unlucky childhood, kid. This place reeks to high heaven. Probably would make Minerva herself sick."_

_Sephiroth gave a harsh smile. "You are right, Zack. The mako smell here is pretty awful. So, how does it feel?"_

" _You talkin' to me?" I inquired._

" _No," his answer was curt. "So,_ _ **Cloud**_ _," drawling out the name, "how does it feel to be to your home? I wish I could know what it would feel like. I have no hometown."_

" _Wha'?" Cloud jerked his head and shoulders back. "What are you talking about? Of course you have a hometown. You had to have been born somewhere. Why don't you just ask your parents?"_

_At this, the silver-haired General laughed. "My mother? I do not believe that would be possible, as she has been dead since my birth. Her name was Jenova; from what I have heard she was a brilliant woman. I regret never having the chance to speak with her. As for my father," he cut himself off, raising his hand into the air as if to help catch his breath. His tone was cold when he finished with, "A father. How amusing. He is of little importance."_

_I wanted to ask him why, why was his father of no importance? Was he alive? Was he a deadbeat? Had he hurt Sephiroth? As far as records stated, Sephiroth had been in the Shinra military since childhood. Had his father sold his own son to the Shinra? There had been times when children were offered to the President for sexual and militia favors..._

" _But that is enough about myself. I believe you have family and friends that live here? I give you permission to go see your loved ones."_

" _Um, can I bring along Zack before we leave, sir?"_

" _Zack?" Sephiroth turned, his eyes glowing with mako. "Ah, yes. Fair can attend with you one night."_

_Cloud smiled. "Thank you, sir!" He quickly pulled on his mask, saluting before running off._

" _You know, he has a lot of spirit. He'd be a good SOLDIER," I remarked as I took a few steps forward, glancing over at the taller man. "He actually reminds me of someone. From the stories at least."_

" _He wouldn't survive. You see spirits destroyed in the heat of battle. Once seeing it happen before your eyes, there will be no guilt greater. I suggest you keep him far away from the barren thought of SOLDIER." His lips quirked up. "An almost unconquerable spirit. But, they can break as easily as a rose."_

" _A rose?"_

_Sephiroth's gaze trailed the streets of Nibelheim, watching Cloud enter one of the many houses. I saw his eyes narrow. "Yes, Fair. A rose."_

 

 

* * *

 

"Wait, so you were there, Cloud?" Tifa questioned.

Zack felt a pit grow in his stomach when he saw Cloud wince. Cloud had hidden himself behind a mask during that mission, the ex-SOLDIER remembered too late.

"Er, well, yeah. I was there. Can we not talk about it right now? I don't think this is the right place for it."

* * *

" _Why don't you go find our guide? I do not think that is too hard for you, Fair," Sephiroth stated briskly, waving his hand to the Nibel Mountains. "I would manage to believe this appointed guide would be somewhere in the vicinity of the town. If you could bring him here, we can begin going over the plans for tomorrow."_

_I nodded my head, eyes scanning the street for the exact house that the blond had entered a few hours before. "Well, I would, Seph, bu–"_

" _My name is not 'Seph', Fair. I suggest you correct yourself before I do it on your behalf. I will not control myself should my hands decide to choke you to death. Go and find Strife." His face held little emotion, yet both eyes were glowing like incandescent stars in the darkness. They twinkled, however, with amusement._

_I feared him but admired in the same breath. "Sure, sorry sir. Didn't think you were touchy about you name, but_ _**whatever** _ _, good ol'_ _**Seph** _ _iroth." There was an accentuation on the beginning of his name and I smiled coyly when his eyebrows dropped, his mouth moving ever-so-slightly in the beginnings of a snarl._

" _Just go!" His white teeth grinded together as a small frown line appeared near his eyes._

_Frantically, I waved my hands in front of my face to protect myself from his glare. "Okay! Okay!" I stumbled forward, past the legendary General. "Just thought you should know you've got these horrible crinkles around your eyes. You may wanna get someone to put some chemicals in there so you can, I don't know, get rid of them. I mean, you're looking more like my mother every day! Even with that stubble on your chin!"_

" _Fair, I cannot grow hair on my chin." The man was in the process of pulling out a red materia in his bangle, his eyes glimmering warningly. "And I believe it would be best for you to run. Now."_

_I laughed as I took off down the road, a silver mist following behind me._

* * *

" _Heeellllllllloooooo! Anybody hooooommmmmmmme?" I yelled, knocking on the door to a small, one-story home, the red coloring of the brick fading to a dull pink. This was the house Cloud had entered, I knew. For one, the window revealed a scene of Cloud being smothered with kisses, his cheeks flaming red, lipstick smudged across his pale skin. He looked like a baby, being cuddled, covered with lipstick in a shade only a mother could wear._

_The woman let go of her son, her bright blue eyes shining with unshed tears and looked over to where I stood. She waved through the window. She whispered something I was unable to hear to the blond, who muttered and shook his head._

" _Aw, don't do that, Cloudy!" I yelled, sure he could hear my voice through the thin glass. He rolled his eyes in what I could assume was exasperation, pointing his middle finger forcefully at the glass. "Oh, don't give me that. I need you! The boss is gonna kill me if I can't get you to the Inn. We're supposed to go over some plans and he figures that since you've been here for like, three hours, you can come back now. Wait, why's your mom still smothering you?!"_

_Cloud walked towards the window and pushed the glass pane up, the force of the gesture betraying his irritation. "Say that again? There's a deaf couple a few houses down that may not have heard you." He gestured to a few neighbors dotting the road, who had stopped their daily activities to point fingers and stare. "See?"_

_I waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever. Get your butt moving or I'm going to have to deal with Seph trying to_ – _"_

" _His name isn't 'Seph', you know. He'll kill you if he hears you calling him that."_

" _Yeah, yeah; it isn't like he hasn't tried doing that today anyway. I mean, I just ran for my life, from him and his damn summons. Fuckin' huge rock trying to kill me. Now, if you could get your butt moving, I'd appreciate it. Oh, sorry Mrs. Strife for coming and stealing your son. I know you haven't seen him in a while but he has to do some work. He'll be back in a little while, I_ _ **promise**_ _."_

_I took a good look at the woman and realized who Cloud took after. Her bright blonde hair hung in an unruly ponytail, sticking up from the back. Their facial characteristics were very similar: they both had a small nose and petite frame. The woman's hands were beautiful, exactly the same shape as Cloud's though lacking calluses from training. But the thing that most shocked me was her eye color, the clearest blue I'd ever seen._

_Cloud's mother smiled, and from the few warm lines that began spreading around her mouth and eyes it was obvious she made the gesture often. Something she didn't share in common with her son then. "I understand, just make sure my baby comes back soon. I'm planning on making a big feast once I'm able to get the butcher to get the specific cut of meat I asked for. You're welcome to come as well; it's so nice to see Cloud has such good friends. You can tell me all about the girls my boy's been sneaking off to see."_

_The teenager blushed. "Mom, there is no girl." His protest fell on deaf ears._

" _Oh, of course the girls are lining up for my baby. I still say you need an older, more mature woman to take care of you, but I trust anyone you choose is good enough for me. Now, Mister…?"_

_I stuck my hand through the window. "I'm Zack Fair, ma'am, SOLDIER First Class and your baby's best buddy. Ain't that right, Cloudy-boy?"_

" _Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Zack." The blond turned to his mother, pecking her on the cheek. "I have to go. I'll be back as soon as possible, okay? That's a promise."_

_The woman put her hand in her pocket and retrieved a handkerchief. "Okay, baby, but come back soon. Just stand still for one more second so I can get some of this lipstick off of your face. I think this calls for some pancakes in the morning for you and your friends. Stop by before you leave for some pancakes and potatoes, alrighty?" this last comment she directed at me. I nodded brightly while she went about putting the now-soiled garment back in her pocket._

" _Oooh, food!" I clapped my hands, eliciting a short burst of laughter from the woman's throat. "Thank you, ma'am! The food Shinra gives is kind of crummy. I'm sure Seph_ – _"_

" _Sephiroth," Cloud corrected._

" _Er, yeah, him, will appreciate it too. Now, come on!" I grabbed hold of the blond's grunt uniform, pulling him through the window. I was pulling him past the houses, only stopping when Cloud's mother stuck her head out the window._

" _Next time use the front door!" she giggled, waving her hand in goodbye._

* * *

" _You_   _took him from his window?"_

" _Well, you told me to get him so I did it. I don't see what you're complaining about. I got him and everything is a-okay!"_

" _Grevers, get the portfolio_   _from the desk. I feel as if the sooner we get on topic the easier it will be to ignore Fair." The General pointed towards the waiting manila folders._

_The young grunt shook as he stuttered a reply, jumping up to retrieve the folders scattered hap-hazardly across the top of the desk. "Sir, yes, sir!"_

_I grabbed a small pile of folded papers from the foot of my bed and began sifting through them, searching for one with the data for the local monsters. When I found it, I highlighted a small portion. "Looks like most of the monsters can be taken down with physical attacks. It's good that we didn't take a magic-based SOLDIER or grunt. Would have been a waste, especially since Cloudy here is good enough with magic. Oh, I found out a little bit of information about the guide Shinra got us, and it sure isn't anything I expected. Want to fill him in, Cloud?"_

_The blond looked up, a glass of water in one hand. He coughed after a moment, gaze shifting between me and Sephiroth. "Err, sure. Her name's Tifa Lockhart, age fifteen. Grew up around here. Her father is one of the most influential people in town-he's the mayor. He doesn't really like the reactor but he realizes its importance. Umm… he'd probably try to kill us if anything happened to Tifa."_

" _On a first-name basis with this girl?"_

_I gave a horse-whistle. "Cloudy here has a lot of unrequited love goin' on in that big heart of his. We can at least expect him to try and keep this kid safe if none of us are able to do it."_

_Sephiroth looked up from the manila folder Grevers handed him. "I don't expect nor wish for you to do something foolish should she be in danger. Our own are more important than a civilian, you understand? I know it isn't nice and it isn't fair, but please understand."_

_I looked up to see Cloud's fingers tighten around the bedspread. "Yes, sir."_

" _You can be a bit more casual. I am not going to eat your beating heart, like Fair tells most of the recruits and grunts."_

_I flipped to another sheet of paper. "Oh, tomorrow Cloud's mom wants to cook us some big meal. I kind of already said you'd be going, sir, and we both know you can't stand upsetting the ladies. So, eight in the morning at Cloud's house and before you ask, no, I don't think you're going to get out of this one."_

" _Fair, contrary to belief, I am a human and as a human I enjoy not having to eat the radioactive sludge that Hojo has our diets wrapped around." The man leaned back against the bedpost, an uncharacteristic moment of weakness._

" _Radioactive sludge, sir? I wouldn't consider it radioactive," Grevers commented, sitting back on the bed a few feet from Cloud._

_Cloud pulled his feet back to make room for the other, looking at me. "Zack, care to tell Grevers here about the after-effects of Hojo's meals?"_

_I nodded, pulling the back of my shirt over my head. "This is what you get for eating the 'food' Hojo makes. You see that? That isn't normal now, is it?"_

_"Is that green…?"_

" _Yeah, it is. Don't know if it's permanent or not but it's creepy." To emphasize my point, I poked the skin around my spine, which glowed a sickly green. "It looks kind of like I'm going to have my back bone pop out, you know?"_

_Cloud coughed into his fist. "Mister Sephiroth, General, what deformity do you have?"_

_I snorted, pulling my shirt down. "Yeah, Sephy, why don't you show all of us that big little problem you have? I'm_ _**sure** Cloud_ _won't be happy until he find out, right?"_

" _Zack Fair, if you don't put an end to such sexual innuendos I will be forced to toss you out the window. Strife, pass me the copy of the Mako Reactor production report._ _If Shinra has already found out the reactors are producing abnormal amounts of mako then we may have more difficulty discovering exactly what is wrong with this town."_

_We continued, bantering lightly, for another three hours before anyone grew tired enough to suggest we turn in for the night._

" _Well, I believe it is time to get some sleep." Sephiroth stood, pulling his small bag from under the bed. "I will be using the shower facilities now, so if you must relieve yourself I suggest doing it now."_

" _Yeah, I mean, how long do you condition your hair? It's waist length_ - _you've_ _ **got**_ _to have stock in some hair product company. So, I'll go take a leak." I stood from the bed, neck cracking in response to the movement._

" _Sir, I believe we may have a problem," Grevers looked around sheepishly. "You see, there are only three beds and there are four of us."_

_Sephiroth blinked. "Well, I can already assure you that I will not be bunking with anyone. I suggest you talk amongst yourselves."_

_Cloud gave me a glance and I smirked, "That means I've got a valid excuse to get all cuddly with you."_

* * *

" _Zack?"_

" _Wha- I wanna sleep an' you talkin' isn't makin' me fall asleep."_

" _Oh, nothing. It's, well…"_

" _Spit it out Cloud."_

" _Can you_ –  _can you move your hand away from my ass?"_

" _Oh, sorry. Natural instinct. Bad hand. Now go to bed."_

* * *

" _I think your mom liked the General," I pulled on the Buster Sword, playing with the hilt, "She was all blushing while handing that second plate of pancakes to him. It's kind of funny, don't you think?"_

" _Zack, my mother is thirty-one and he is a world-famous General who is only in his twenties. She is a woman with estrogen; he is a man who doesn't seem to have sexual organs. In the past two years, I haven't heard of one person claiming to have slept with him. You would expect a line of women to stand at his doorstep, y'know? I don't care if my mother blushes when handing him a platter of pancakes because it is obvious I don't have to worry about suddenly having a silver-haired brother running around." The blond smiled, running his hands over the iron-wrought fence._

_I nodded agreement. "Yeah, you'd think Sephiroth would have crazy silver-haired children running around, burning down villages and whatnot, but he's actually pretty tame. I heard that there was someone way back when, during the Wutaian War, but I'm pretty sure they're just urban myths."_

_Casually, I looked around to see the General and Grevers standing a few meters away, Sephiroth talking rapidly to a man, his face diplomatic, while the man's was turning a shade of puce. I made a quick gesture for Cloud to come closer._

" _Okay, don't tell anyone I told you this – no one talks about it – and whatever you do, don't mention it around_ _ **anyone**_ _. I mean, this isn't dinner talk, okay?" I waited a moment for the blond to nod assent. Quickly I made sure the silver-haired General was trapped in conversation, before I began to explain, "They say he fell in love with Wutaian royalty while following Shinra's orders. They say that the father of this woman was the Emperor or Lord or King something and she defied all laws to see Sephiroth. I think he was about nineteen. Anyway, the Shinra captured her and raped her to the point of death and when Sephiroth found out he wiped out the entire battalion of Shinra soldiers stationed around the point._

" _After nearly killing everyone, they say he found out the king had given his child to the Shinra troops, ashamed that she was a whore to a Shinra General… After that, there was no chance of stopping him. As she lay in bed, dying, Sephiroth vowed to avenge her death by killing the people who had given her to the enemy. He killed thousands of Wutaian ninja, soldiers, materia-keepers, and assassins. I wasn't there but I heard that the Wutaians named him the demon."_

_Cloud's face lost all color. Suddenly I was reminded of how very young he was. "Yeah, they did some pretty awful shit back then and I don't doubt some of the things they say about him." I continued softly, "I've seen him kill without so much as blinking. I'm pretty shaky and sketchy on most of the facts but that's what I heard... Now that we're done, it looks like that girl is heading over."_

_It was interesting how quickly Cloud's face flushed and he pulled his mask on. "Don't say anything!" he whispered venomously, pushing all of his blond hair into the band._

_I raised my hands in defense. "Hey, I'm not going to mess with your chances of getting the girl, 'kay? Looks like we're ready to get going."_

_The teenage girl skipped forward, pulling on the string around her neck. "Hi! I'm Tifa Lockhart and I'm the best guide in this entire town. I just wanted to say thank you for hiring me and I won't let you down!" She rolled back and forth on the heels of her boots, popping a piece of bubblegum in her mouth._

" _Hi there, Miss Tifa. I'm Zack Fair, SOLDIER First Class and this is my buddy, er, Rain. He doesn't talk much so don't worry 'bout him spacing off sometimes." The point of Cloud's military-issued gun dug into my boot. I forced my smile wider._

_Tifa returned the smile, giving a quick one-handed wave. "We're almost ready to go but I was wondering… one of the guys was wondering if he could take a picture of the General, you and me. I wanted to ask if you could... As a memento? A girl doesn't get asked to escort the Legendary General and one of the few SOLDIER First Classes around often in her life. So, please?"_

" _Oh, sure! Anything for such a cutie, okay? Just let your pops finish chewing out Sephiroth and we'll do it. I'm pretty photogenic and I know the General and his pretty silver hair is more photogenic than twenty of me."_

 

* * *

Zack searched the eyes of the people surrounding him. His mouth was dry from all that talking, from all he still hadn't said. "So. That was the beginning of everything. I figured you would want a bit of information on the situation – I know I would – so..." He scratched the back of his head then added, "Anyway, got any questions?"

"Shi'! You talk too much, Spiky. Ain't you ever heard o' summarizin'?"

"I never knew that was you, Cloud. Rain… I should have figured something was up." Tifa's face grew pensive. "I figured you would come back one day but I thought you would have at least shown your face."

"I… was ashamed," Cloud answered after a moment of hesitation. "I thought you'd be embarrassed to know me because I hadn't gotten further than grunt level."

Zack waved a hand. "Cloud, only like five percent ever made it past the tests. They  _were_  extremely difficult. Damn, I was nearly turned down the first time around, even with Angeal being my mentor! It isn't just about scores either; it's about how receptive your body is to mako. You probably didn't make it because of the fact that your body couldn't take the mako. I saw lots of guys go crazy from it."

"But, if I may ask, why are his eyes mako blue? That is no normal color – they are the eyes of a SOLDIER, a man infused with copious amounts of undiluted mako." Red stretched out on the floor, his flame-tail clinking against the floor. "So, how did him come to possess mako eyes?"

Zack grimaced.  _Not yet... I'm not ready to explain that yet._

"I don't know," Cloud answered, lifting a finger to his left eye, running it along the flesh of his cheek, "I was actually waiting for Zack to explain that. I have a shady memory and still am having problems piecing everything together. What does Sephiroth have to do with Nibelheim? You told me so little and I don't understand what's going through your mind. I just want you to hurry up and finish this."

It was clear from his tone that the mysteries of his past had been affecting him more than he'd let on. Feeling his heart curl up in his chest, Zack took another deep breath and continued.

* * *

" _It isn't going to miraculously end, is it?" I questioned, my feet digging into the path. "I mean, we've been walking for two and a half hours and we haven't come across that bridge you said would only take us ten minutes to get to. I'm seriously contemplating if you're just planning on leading us into the middle of nowhere, dropping our asses there and running off."_

_Tifa stomped her foot. "You wanted to go the scenic route, didn't you? It would have taken only ten minutes but **you**  said you wanted to see all the pretty things! I'm only doing what you asked me to do. Don't get mad at me because you aren't specific enough."_

_Cloud gave a small snort, causing the brunette girl to twist her head. "Oh, like you know any better way of getting around here?"_

" _Of course he does," Sephiroth whispered, pushing a cloth over the blade of his Masamune. He raised his voice, "I believe we should arrive sooner rather than later, correct? We have many things to do and not quite that much time in which to do them so if you will, please move us a little faster."_

" _Sir, yes, sir!" Tifa gave a mock-salute, taking a sharp right turn towards a bridge a few meters away (which, Zack swore, hadn't been there a minute before. Damn twists.) "We were almost at the end anyway. Once we cross this little bridge we'll be to the other side and there's this really cool fountain Mister_ _ **Fair**_ _," she put an emphasis on the name, "wanted to see. Isn't that cool? It's one of the few left in the world, right here in our own Nibel Mountains."_

_Sephiroth glowered. "It would be wonderful if you would, from this moment forward, ignore any suggestions that come from his mouth. He speaks far too much and wastes too much time. Now, once we pass this bridge will we be to the reactor?"_

_The teenage girl shrugged. "Nope. After that we still need to get through the caves. They're pretty, too."_

_I huffed, kicking a rock. "Well, Sephiroth, I figured you need some pretty things."_

" _Fair, it would be best for you to stop speaking. I remind you of this daily but you ignore me. Perhaps I should have a talk with Hojo, have him put some new chemicals into your meals_ – _"_

" _Aww, you're making me hungry. Don't mention food right now. I mean, my stomach couldn't get any emptier."_

_I could hear the Masamune being unsheathed. "Why must you mock me? I know you are not as immature as you have been acting. I wonder, is this how you believe you can find your way into Miss Lockhart's underwear?"_

_Both Tifa and I choked simultaneously. "What? Of course not! I just love pissing you off!"_

" _Thus, you are mocking me."_

_I bit down on my smiling lips. "Yeah, I guess I am. That kind of sucks for you, if you want to know the truth. Now, Grevers, care to sacrifice yourself for me? Sephiroth's blade isn't all that bad. Granted, I wouldn't know, but that's all right. So, you willing to be a martyr for me, buddy?"_

" _No."_

" _Well, you aren't that great of a friend." I turned back to look over my shoulder. "How bout you, C_ – _Rainy? Are you going to save my lily-white ass?"_

 _Tifa laughed loudly. "Oh, you're funny Mister Fair, but really, we're getting close to the bridge. I walked by yesterday and it was a little wobbly but I think it'll hold just fine. Maybe that would be a good thing for your company to invest in_ – _some good bridges wouldn't go amiss."_

_It didn't look safe: there was an assortment of planks missing and the rope was fraying at the edges. "Uh, you sure that isn't going to kill us?" I asked warily._

" _Oh, of course it won't! It's the quickest way to get there. Trust me, you don't want to go back the long way. My watch is telling me it's almost three and I don't want to be running around at night. Sure, you guys are big boys, but what's going to happen to me? Getting eaten by some_ _monster really isn't anything I'm planning on." She skipped onto the bridge, signalling for us to follow her._

" _Like her father would allow anything to happen," Cloud leaned forward, whispering into my ear._

" _Hey, don't talk like that about your girlfriend."_

_Cloud nearly pushed me off the bridge. "Don't mess around. Anyway, it looks like this thing's gonna fall apart where we stand. Oh, Grevers, quit rocking the damn thing. I'm going to be puking things up that I ate when I was a kid."_

_But he wasn't shaking the bridge._

* * *

 

" _Cloud! Grevers! Sephiroth! Tifa!?" I yelled, my hands touching my left shoulder. The bone was sticking out but before I could even think of the pain, I slammed by palm into it. After the tell-tale crunch, it slid back into the skin. I shut out the pain, aware that passing out now could mean the death of one of my companions. My voice was going hoarse as I gave another long yell, "Anybody hear me? Anybody see me?"_

_A loud cough rose from behind a nearby set of rocks. A masked face rose tentatively._

_Overcome with concern, I ran forward and pulled the teenager's body close, ignoring the twinge in my arm. "Oh, Minerva, I thought you were a goner! Shit, Cloud, you scared me." I pushed his face into my chest and had no plans on letting him go._

" _Can't breathe," he gasped, one hand pushing against my chest. "Just a little air…!"_

" _Right, sorry, kiddo." I moved my arm, wincing once again. Ignoring the look of worry in his pale blue eyes, I tried a smile, which turned into a grimace. "You know where anybody else is?"_

_Cloud shook his head, reaching up and pulling the blue mask off. "No, I just rolled off those rocks over there. If I had been a meter away from the rock, there might have been no me left. I'm worried for the others: if they're hurt they'll be easy pickings for monsters." There was a streak of blood coming from his nose and his lips were quivering slightly. I suspected he was even worse off than me._

" _Hey, you okay?" I asked, putting one of my hands on the teen's back. He recoiled, a hideous look of pain crossing his face. Quickly, I jerked my hands away. "Shit, what's wrong?"_

_Cloud took in a gasping breath. "Don't know," he grunted, lifting his hand to his nose, wiping the stream of blood from his nostril, streaking red across his face._

" _I've got some restore materia on me. Take off your shirt so I can see what happened to you. Did you fall on something?"_

_The teenager nodded, another grunt escalating from his mouth. "Ugh, yeah. Rocks."_

_I swore under my breath as the blond reached down, his fingers pulling on the hem of the uniform. "Shit, that isn't right," I exclaimed as the wound was revealed. His back was covered with purple splotches that deepened in colour the closer they got to the centre of his back. "Oh, Cloudy, stay still, okay?"_

" _Wasn't really planning on moving, you know."_

 _I placed my fingers on the small green ball, watching the tendrils encircle the wounds, my hands trembling. "You fell on a bunch of rocks. I don't know what I'm going to do with you. Gimme one more second. It isn't a good idea for you to be moving that quickly_ –  _oh."_

_Sephiroth tossed his Masamune into the ground, Tifa dangling helplessly in one arm. "Fair, if you ever suggest we take the scenic route..." His eyes traced over Cloud's form then mine. "I see you weren't able to find Grevers. I figured as much. There was a rather large blood splatter a few minutes to the left with tracks leading from it. It seems we have lost the boy." He leaned down, propping the teenage girl on a nearby rock._

_Cloud made a strangled cry. "Jake's gone?"_

_Slowly, I patted my hand against his back. "Yeah, buddy." I pulled down Cloud's shirt. "We can try to find something to take back to give him a proper burial."_

" _No," Sephiroth snapped, his eyes like fire, "We don't have the time to grieve right now. It sounds cruel but we need to continue moving. Perhaps when we get to the reactor we will be able to fix the malfunctions quickly, but we can't afford to waste more time. Our guide is unconscious and I will not be running around searching for another way to the Mako Reactor, so if you would be so kind, Strife, I ask you to lead us. Fair, you can be the donkey."_

_I nodded, patting Cloud on the back once more. "Come on! It isn't going to do any good for you to mope. I don't think he would have wanted that."_

_Cloud cocked his head back, spitting blood onto the floor. He wiped his nose again. Drying flecks coated the corner of his grunt uniform. "Fine. Just don't expect the scenic route."_

* * *

_Tifa woke up when I got to the final stretch of land. Slung across my back, she must have been in some pain because she didn't protest against the treatment. The air was colder closer to the Mako Reactor. Most of the Mako Reactors I had been to in my life were far warmer, almost stifling, than the actual temperature outside. I hadn't given it much of a thought; Nibelheim was naturally a cold place, the early frost already coating the rocks as we got closer to the top._

" _This is a strange atmosphere." Sephiroth stood cautiously, looking at the Mako Reactor with disdain. "Is this normal, Miss Lockhart?"_

_The brunette shrugged and weakly replied, "I'm not sure. It's been like this for as long as I can remember. Why?" I put her down, allowing her to rub at her barely-covered arms that were splotched with white and blue._

" _Reactors are supposed to_ _ **produce**_ _heat, not suck it from the air," I answered automatically, watching large puffs of smog rise from the interconnected pipes. "It's too cold up here and it just keeps getting colder."_

" _I must wonder, was this a conventional Mako Reactor? Perhaps your father knows why this reactor is so different. A very old construction, maybe?"_

"I dunno _," Tifa answered after a moment of contemplation._

_I looked to Cloud, who was silent. "When we get up there you two are not permitted access. Hate to do it, what with you guys coming all the way out here, but there's no way we are going to let you in there, especially when it's turning out to be so abnormal. You guys are going to have to hang around here for a little bit."_

_Tifa stopped short, slamming her feet into the ground angrily. "That isn't fair!"_

" _Lockhart, if you attempt to follow us I will have no issue putting you to sleep. I have the materia in my bangle, and I will be giving this to Rain," the General shot me a glare, "so he can act upon you should the need arise." As to make his point clear, he took out the glowing green material and tossed it at Cloud, who caught it easily in his hand._

" _Now that that's settled, I think we should get goin' up there, right, Sephiroth? Don't want to keep them waiting out here for too long." I grabbed the man, pulling him toward the staircase leading up to the reactor. "See you later! He'll take good care of you, I promise!"_

" _But! But!" the girl tried, attempting to pass by Cloud, who had taken station in front of the set of stairs. She pounded her heel into his boot. "Not fair! Let me by!"_

_Cloud shook his head 'no', moving his gun in front of his chest, using it to lightly push the girl away._

" _Good luck!" I waved one hand behind me, the other still firmly implanted on the General's shoulder._

* * *

" _Shit, it's cold in here," I whispered, rubbing both my hands together. "This isn't natural. It can't be more than a few degrees above zero in here. I don't know about you but I'm feeling kinda chilly."_

" _Concentrate on the assignment and get to work. We need to find out if there is some sort of malfunction somewhere in this place, which means we should start with the control room. The blueprints said there should be a ladder around here."_

_I looked around the room. My breath was fogging in front of me, mingling with the clouds of Mako hanging in the air. "The Mako fumes are really dense in here. Do you remember the blueprints? I don't think I'll be able to find the ladder with all this smoke. And Sephiroth?_ _I don't think it was old man Shinra who wanted us to come here. Why would he want to waste two SOLDIER First Classes for something several grunts could handle? I've been thinking about it since we got here. Have you got any ideas?"_

_I followed him toward where I imagined the blueprints had told of a ladder. "Actually, I have, before we began our trip from Midgar. I took it upon myself to see the people who had been assigned this mission before us. It was, in fact, a set of SOLDIER Third Classes. Further digging revealed they were pulled from the assignment for health problems, every one of them. Now, who could have that kind of control over SOLDIER? Zack...."_

_A sudden chill, nothing to do with the temperature of the room, ran down my spine. "Hojo. This isn't good, General. I mean, that man gives me the heebie-jeebies and that creepy-crawlies. He was the one who_ – _"_

" _Yes, you are correct, Fair. Hojo has had some hand in our entrance to this town and though I am not certain why, I can believe it has something to do with this reactor. A sensation of… alertness has grown in me from the moment my feet crossed the threshold of this town."_

_His blatant admittance caught me off-guard. "Maybe we're just thinking too much about this?" I asked hopefully._

_One elegant eyebrow rose. "When Hojo is involved, there is no thinking too much. You either think of a way to avoid his trickery or, as many do, give in." He turned to the ladder, perhaps eager to have our job done with. "It will only take a few more minutes before we come to a conclusion about this. I am hoping it will not be as unpleasant as the last time I found something out via Hojo." He climbed onto the ladder, moving with practiced ease._

_I followed._   _"What did you find out last time?"_

_I heard a snort from below me. "I found out about a rather unfortunate incident in my past, if you must know... It wasn't very fun."_

" _That doesn't explain what he did," I pointed out._

" _It was to do with Genesis and a mutual acquaintance. Does that satisfy you?"_

 _Oh. Angeal. My feet hit the ground and I saw, from the corner of my eye, Sephiroth touch his hair. I shrugged._   _"Well, if you gotta know, not really, but no pressure."_

" _Well," he mocked gently, "if_ _ **you**_ _gotta know, I wasn't planning on telling you anything further. Now, just a few more feet to the right and you will see the door..."_

* * *

"So, this man, Hojo, was the one pulling the strings in the background?" Aeris stood up, taking a few steps toward the window.

Zack sighed, not wishing to answer. "Yes, it was Hojo screwing around with everything. I think he enjoyed it. Destroy a couple of people's lives, play God, use them for his own sick amusement. I heard many things about him before I became a SOLDIER, how he was evil and sadistic, but I really never expected him to be quite so bad. In fact," his voice dropped, "he was even worse than I could have imagined."

"Stop me if I am wrong but you talking about Professor Hojo, the man who tried to mate Aeris and I?" Red bared his teeth, the question coming out as a partial snarl. 

The ex-SOLDIER looked around the room to see Cloud, once again subconsciously rubbing at the scars on his skin. The sight caused a bolt of frustration to flash before his eyes. "Yeah, the scientist you had the unfortunate luck to meet. Really wasn't that great of a guy, was he?"

Aeris shuddered. "I believe the word that comes to mind is 'understatement'."

"Yeah, he's a fucking evil monster but let's get back to the story, shall we? There really isn't much left."

* * *

" _This place is kinda creepy." I felt for my Buster Sword, the cold weight comforting on my back. "Let's just do what we have to do and get out. Now, er, what exactly do you think we should do?"_

_I heard the older man sigh in frustration. "You are eighteen years old and still don't understand your orders. Who was your Commanding Officer?"_

_I scratched my head, looking at the various capsules lining the room, rows and rows continuing until reaching the very back wall. "It was Sergeant Mayako, I think. The guy with the gray streak? People call him Sergeant Monster."_

" _He won't be letting any more morons through the Academy, I assure you."_

" _Ah, he wasn't that cool anyway." I turned my attention to the capsule-like containers. "What do you think are in these things?"_

_Sephiroth took a few steps up the stairs, eyes narrowing. "Fair," his voice was quizzical, "can you read what that sign says?"_

_I looked around, only seeing one sign above the topmost door. "That thing above the door? '_ _**JENOVA** _ _'. Know what it means?"_

" _The name of my mother…" Sephiroth lifted his foot up, taking a few more steps. His fingers experimentally touched the metal door. "This is what Hojo spoke of… Fair, look into one of the chambers. Are they empty?"_

" _You're kind of wigging me out, Sephiroth." I retreated back down to the landing. "I'm not sure I want to look in there with the way you're talking."_

_The General turned, his silver eyes staring at the capsules. They flashed green for a moment "Hojo is a monster. Look into the glass, Fair."_

" _Do it yourself," I countered, irrationally unnerved._

" _Fine," he snapped, walking briskly down the stairs. Stepping back, I made way for the man to look into the nearest white chamber. He peered inside for less than a moment, his eyes snapping closed. "No…" Sephiroth whispered, his fingers gripping the sides of the metal. "This, this is monstrous even for you, Hojo… but I understand now. I understand…"_

" _Understand what?"_

" _Just look for yourself." He moved gracefully away from the capsule, his hands violently shaking, as he said, "You'll understand."_

 _I shrugged, pulling myself up to look into the glass. Inside, floating in a vat of pure Mako, was a beast with a_ _deformed head. Its eyelids seemed fused shut but blood red irises were shining brightly through the closed lids._   _Forcefully, I pulled myself away from the hideous sight. "What the fuck is that?"_

" _That," Sephiroth viciously spat, "is what happens when one is exposed to long-term intensive Mako. That, as you so elegantly put it, is my brothers, your brother, our comrade. I should have expected the war was meant for more than one reason_ –  _collection of bodies for experimental use. How foolish I was to expect something so simple as honor.._ _."_

_He began pacing, muttering to himself, "But I understand now. Mother, brothers, this was how I was created too?" His voice broke as he fell to his knees, his fists slamming into the capsule. "Why? Why! Why this one! How… how.…"_

_I jumped back as Sephiroth pulled out his Masamune, swinging the sword violently at the capsule. "_ _**How dare you! This is of your doing! Am I a monster like them? Am I a monster like him! Mother!** _ _"_

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Despondent

_Sephiroth hadn't left the Shinra Mansion since the reactor. Cloud, a few townspeople and I held a small funeral at the base of the mountain for Grevers, whose body we had gone back for the next day. He was dead. If he had survived the fall, the bloodstain I had been told of from Sephiroth suggested he had been ravaged by monsters. A hurt grunt could make it for only so long in the center of a dangerous mountain, the temperature dropping, the monsters bloodthirsty and hungry. We hadn't been able to find the body... but we knew._

_Sephiroth decided against coming to the small farewell for Jake Grevers. I wasn't surprised. That look of pure hatred that passed from his green cat-like eyes (they were no longer silver, but a mako-infused ugliness) to mine were haunting, mesmerizing. He'd slammed the door in my face the first night and pulled out Masamune on the second, threatening to disembowel me. He would have too, I think, had I not moved in time._

_The third night, I came into the room in the basement of the Shinra Mansion, passing by a door I earlier attempted to get into when my ears picked up the subtle sound of breathing. A few bullet shells lay in the thick dust and would sift from below my feet and coating the bottom of my pants._

_Sephiroth was covered in dust, thick tendrils of gray matting his hair. A smell of despair reeked in the back library. He seemed to be the epicenter of that scent._

" _Did you know your people were the reason for the death of the Cetra?" Sephiroth snapped a book shut, tossing it carelessly onto the ground near my feet. I kneeled down, picking up the leather-bound book to read the name: '_ _ **JENOVA PROJECT- A THEORY OF ALIEN ORIGIN**_ _.'_

_Sephiroth's voice was colder than I'd ever heard it. "Yes, my mother and Jenova are one and the same. She is the mother of our world. Excavated from the ground near Nibelheim thirty years ago, it took five years for the scientists on the team to successfully implant her cells into an unborn fetus. That was me, the General Sephiroth. The Legendary SOLDIER. The Hero of the Wutai War."_

_I looked around the room, noticing the titles on all the books. The bindings showed names of various JENOVA experiments. It was unnerving. How many books could be written on one... alien?_

" _This wasn't how you were created," I stated fervently as I stood, throwing the book on the table. "You know that isn't true. You might be a hard-ass sometimes and a bit confusing, but you aren't an alien. You're my comrade, my buddy, an idol for people like Cloud. Are you even listening to yourself?"_

" _She came with gifts to the world, a new plan, a new dream but because she was different, too beautiful, too smart, you_ _ **humans**_ _," he spat the word, "your pitiful kind, locked her away. She resided here below the surface of the earth for thousands of years, waiting. Now her only son, her heir, lives. I will do as her will dictates. Now, Fair, do you know why the Ancients, the Cetra, are almost nonexistent?"_

_I wanted to run forward and grab him by his pretty hair. "Because they couldn't stick it in? Fuck, I don't know, Sephiroth, but what I do know is that the past is the past and you're going to have to get over it."_

" _Listen to this, Fair: 'The Cetra were chased from their homelands by humans when the Calamity came, speaking of truth and peace. They joined with her, their mother, but the humans feared her. She was a goddess among mortals so they encased her in a prison, hiding her beneath the soil. The followers, the Cetra, tried peaceful negotiations but the humans thought they were inhuman. The Planet herself attempted to free the unsung Calamity but in her attempts she freed the Planet's defenses, the WEAPONS. This unleashed unspeakable horror upon the people and, attempting to save lives, the Cetra were racked with plague and famine to protect the humans."_

" _What does that mean? Nothing!"_

" _Oh," he tsked, pulling a few other books from the shelves, "no, it was important. You are the product of those fools, of those people who betrayed Mother. But Hojo, Hojo understood the importance of JENOVA and with each attempt to reincarnate her; he became more knowledgeable of her mystery. He knew he wouldn't be able to bring her back so instead created a copy of her. That is who I am. The child of an alien sent by the Gods themselves, a Goddess. I am the heir to this planet. I should feel none of these human emotions but all I feel is hatred!"_

_I skidded out of the way as more books were thrown at me. "You are human! You were created in a womb, while those things in those capsules were taken and morphed into what they are! They are the monsters now! Hojo did that, yeah, but you aren't a monster!"_

_I hadn't even had the chance to blink. Sephiroth was jumping over the desk, clutching my throat in one hand. I felt my muscles constrict painfully._

" _Do not speak of them," he hissed, spittle flying from his mouth, "they are mine,_ _ **mine**_ _. You and your pitiful humans and their pitiful lives, with their pathetic sense of duty. Monsters, you call them! They are not monsters, but the incarnations of Gods! And you, you are the ants on the ground, biting their feet, injecting poison into their veins. They are more beautiful than you could ever be. Now, get out!"_

_He thrust me by the neck out the door and into the hallway, books crashing down around my head._

* * *

" _Cloudy, your mother's cooking for us! You have any idea how much I want to marry her right now? A full, home-cooked meal is something I've been dying for since I left home. Ma makes dinner every night and you don't miss it until it's gone. Damn, Cloud, how did you survive with the protein bars and green shakes?"_

_Cloud was leaning in front of a small, hand-made stake in the ground, twining a few flowers around the edge. It was the small cemetery of the town, a place I had never expected to see. I had thought that the people from Nibelheim did what we had done with Grevers, putting up a stake with his name engraved on the side in the mountains. But Cloud could not leave the stake unattended, and I followed him._

" _I don't know," the boy mused, pushing away some thin ivy from a headstone. It was a woman's name, I noticed after a second of looking. "I think it may have had something to do with you sneaking me off to places that had actual food, like that place down below the plate you brought me to after a mission, but maybe not. I think I have a hardened stomach from all that stuff."_

_The breeze shifted to the east. "Well, can I ask you something? Who was she?" I pointed to the grave then put both my hands in my pockets._

" _My grandmother," Cloud simply stated, pulling out a few weeds, tossing them to the side. "She died when I was eight. I remember her; she was a lovely woman, took my mom in when she got here. She wasn't related to me but I grew up with her as my grandmother. 'Blood doesn't matter in times of tragedy'._ _ **"**_

" _Aw, sorry kiddo." I kneeled down, looking at her death date. "So where're your father and real grandparents?"_

_The blond snorted, digging his fingers into the ground. "Grandparents? They were killed during the Massacre of Crondrel, one of the main cities before Midgar was built. It was to the west of this town, between the sea and the island of Wutai. There was an attack by Wutai, but I think it may have been Shinra... My grandparents were slaughtered and my mother, pregnant, took sanctuary in this town."_

" _Oh…" I couldn't respond, didn't know what else to say. I knew of the massacre: nearly one million people slaughtered in the streets, the city burned down. I also knew how a fifteen-year-old girl became pregnant at that time…_

" _Don't worry about it. Just, you know, don't bring anything up in front of her. It isn't something people talk about after dinner."_

_I nodded my head reverently. "Oh, don't worry about that, Cloudy. I'm smooth with the ladies. But, just so you know, your mom is hot."_

* * *

" _Thank you, Miss Strife." I wiped my mouth with the napkin already stained with food. "That was the best thing I've had in way too long. You cook a mean pot roast."_

_The older woman blushed. "Oh, thank you, sweetheart. And please, call me Kysen. Whenever you say 'Miss' I kind of feel like I should be wearing diapers."_

_We both laughed, Cloud giving the woman a quick smile before picking up the dishes in front of me. "Oh, you aren't a house-wife, Cloud. Here," standing up, I snatched a few plates from his hands, "let me take that."_

" _He is such a gentleman," Kysen cooed at me, clapping her hands together. "Oh, you are just such a darling. I have to ask, how old are you?"_

" _Mom!" Cloud snapped, causing him to spill a bit of juice from the dirty plates onto the table. "Must you hit on him at the dinner table?"_

_Kysen waved her hand. "Cloud, you'd know if I was hitting on him. And I was just wondering because if he's older than twenty, there has to be a Mrs."_

" _But why would it matter?"_

" _Because…" she put one finger to her lip, thinking, "well, if he's married then I don't have to worry about my baby getting shacked up with a gorgeous man like him! You've got your mother's genes, sweetie. We like things that are pretty and sweet."_

_I gave another short laugh. "Aw, Cloudy, your mom is just worried about me molesting you in your sleep or something. But no, you don't have to worry about that. I'm only eighteen but I have a wonderful girlfriend back in Midgar. You kind of remind me of her. Anyway, Cloud has a thing for a certain someone right here, in this town."_

_I walked a few steps forward, placing the dishes on the sink._

" _Do not," Cloud stated snappishly, turning on the water full-blast, "and anyway, what is your saying, mom? 'You should get yourself an older girlfriend, one that'll take care of you.' Isn't that right?"_

_I smiled. "Well, you should. Someone older to look after you, I mean. If I weren't with Aeris, I would set you up with her but as things are… sorry to disappoint."_

_Cloud's mother clapped her hands, looking at both Cloud and I. "Well, because you boys cleaned up the table I think we should eat that pie I made earlier. It's been sitting in the fridge, ice cream in the freezer and I had to stop myself too many times from eating it today. Who wants a piece?"_

* * *

_The town was quiet. There was a faint musk in the air and out of curiosity I went back into the mansion and down into the basement. It was even quieter in there and dark too, the first thing that told me that there was something wrong._

_The pages of a few textbooks lay scattered across the ground. I leaned down to pick one up. A few marks, bright splotches against the page, caught my eye._

_I read aloud as if doing so would make the meaning behind the words obvious: "'_ _**And she healed the Planet with fire, a fire which burned brighter than the sun. She, the Calamity** _ _.' What the fuck is this?"_

_Another: "'_ _**JENOVA watched the town burn, therefore saving the people from damnation from Minerva.** _ _' This alien has a thing for lighting shit on fire…"_

_I was out of the room before the pages fluttered to the ground like butterflies without their wings._

* * *

_The town was blazing. Severed bodies lay on the ground, charred and bleeding. I didn't know what to do. The place was still too quiet apart from the crackling flames licking everything they touched._

_I tried, in the frenzy of heat, to see if anyone was breathing. I knew Cloud had gone back to Nibel Mountains, armed with his gun to say hello to Grevers, but his mother… Tifa and her father… the people who owned the items store… the children I had seen playing with their toys from the inn's window._

_I didn't stay long. The only house I searched was Cloud's. She lay on the bed, her throat slit. It was the first time I vomited after seeing a dead body in years; long, stomach-burning heaves that left the acidic taste of bile lingering in my mouth. Her eyes were closed, her face peaceful. Sephiroth had been delicate with her._

_I don't know how long it took to get to the Mako Reactor; all I remember is the hit of air on my face, the panic in my stomach and the vomit in my mouth. Time seemed to slow and speed up at irregular intervals, my feet beating against the ground then the scenery passing agonizingly slowly. A minute, a day, a year, a second – I don't know the time it took for me to get there, to stand before him. Tifa's body was on the ground. She cursed me but I ignored her, attacking Sephiroth instead._

_He mocked me. He called me a fool, told me of his plans of world domination, how it felt to have the blood coating his face, drying in his hair. His eyes shined and that scared me most of all._

_Still, I attacked him. I tried to kill him. I tried to see Kysen's face, her eyes closed and blood pouring from her neck, her hands folded. I tried to see Tifa's mouth forming the words 'I hate you' over and over again. I tried to see Cloud's broken face, the blue eyes filled with tears, his anguished sobs as he pulled on my shoulder, screaming._

_But all I saw was red._

* * *

"I don't remember what happened after that, not until I woke up on a cold metal slab, taped to the table, Hojo looking down at me. That was for five years. Five years – do you know what that does to a person? We barely made it, Cloud and I…" Zack turned to regard the blond, who was staring intently at him, willing him on.

Zack spread his arms in appeal. "I didn't want to talk about it, to tell you, but I suppose I couldn't keep it secret anymore. We were in Hojo's hands for five years until I was able to escape, you with me. I have the memories of the lab in the basement of that mansion, but my body hasn't aged."

Zack pushed his thumbs together, not looking up. "I know, Cloud. You should be mad at me, you should hate me because I didn't tell you when you woke up at Aeris's house but I just couldn't do it." He looked up, seeing Cloud walking toward the door, his back turned.

"I wish I could have done something, you know," he whispered, a last plea.

Cloud turned, his mako green eyes shining with something Zack did not want to see. "You can wish all you want," he hissed before walking out of the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"You shouldn't have done that." Aeris stood, shaking her head."You shouldn't have done that. You piled so many things on him…"

"Tha's cold, real col', Spiky."

As Zack left, he heard Red stand and yawn. "What an interesting story," the furred beast spouted, and the ex-SOLDIER had to shake his head. Only Red.

 

 

 


	15. Abstraction

 

# Chapter Ten: Abstraction

He hadn't noticed it when he entered the town because he was preoccupied rehearsing the story in his head, shaping it into something that could be digested by the party. Now that he was actually walking around, searching for Cloud, Zack noticed just how many glares he was receiving. Women buying supplies in the street markets stopped what they were doing to stare him down; children parted like the ground after an eartchquake, eyes narrowed. One kid even kicked a ball at his legs. Across the square the men had taken a defensive stance, their shoulders hunched, pipes hanging loosely from their mouths.

This was weird; Zack knew it when he gave a small smile to a child who had darted out into the street and received a harsh stare from the mother for his trouble. This continued halfway into the town until the man grew weary of having the townspeople glaring at his back.

"Can I help you?" he snapped, resisting the urge to gnash his teeth together. The woman who he had addressed dropped her bag at the sudden outburst, making Zack sigh. "Sorry 'bout that. Here." Quickly he kneeled down, picking up the parcels and handing them to the stunned woman, whose brown eyes stared at him like he would cut her down where she stood. "That was everything, right?"

She coughed. "Um, yes. Thank you… for that, you know, helping me pick up my stuff," the woman stumbled over her words, a slight blush creeping from her neck.

 _Bingo!_  Zack thought wolfishly, giving her a carefree smile. Had there been a post behind him, Zack would have casually leaned back. Instead, he shifted all his weight to his right leg, placing one hand on his hip. Smiling, he said, "Of course, ma'am. Anything to help such a pretty face."

He watched her actions, seeing her foot kick the gravel nervously, leaning her head down and picking at her parcels. Normally, Zack would have been pleased with this reaction but now it only made him feel a bit queasy.

"Who are you?" the woman questioned. "We saw you and your friends come into town. The people talk a bit…"

"The name's Zack Fair, ma'am." Zack tipped an imaginary top hat to her, causing a small laugh to escape her mouth.

"You're funny." She fanned her face quickly before saying, "My name is Justine, Mister Fair. Now, how may I help you today? After all, it is only customary to offer help in return for help."

Zack stayed quiet as if he was contemplating the offer, inside smiling victoriously, "Well, there is something that I think you could help me out with. My friend kinda went missing. Well, actually, he left... but I need to find him. Said some stuff that hurt him and I don't think he's… thinking straight. He's probably getting wasted as we speak. Reckon you could point me in the right direction?"

"A lovers' quarrel?" there was a hint of hesitation in her voice.

There was a moment of shocked silence, the violet-eyed man's mouth dropping open, gaping like a fish. "Huh?" he finally managed to get out before beginning to laugh hysterically, "Me – me and Cloud? Oh, Holy, sweetheart, that was funny. He isn't that type of guy. He's head over heels for this girl he knew from childhood."

"But does that mean that you don't want him? After all, you didn't talk about your feelings."

"I'm sorry, but me and Cloud... nah. Now, do you think that there's somewhere he would have gone?" Zack changed the conversation piece quickly, getting back onto the topic of finding his lost friend.

"Well, there is one final place he might be…" Justine looked around for a moment, getting onto her tiptoes. "It's right there," she motioned to a rather shady looking bar half-hidden by a large staircase. "That's one of the first places I could think an angry man would run off to. The spirits are cheap and the services are certainly varied."

"Services?" A lump grew in the back of his throat.

She leaned forward, whispering into Zack's ear, "The town doesn't like to talk about it. I've never been in there myself but they say that there are some rather dodgy people there. They say… there's an empty room in the back for the customers to use... y'know." Justine seemed to be scandalized by even speaking the words.

"You've got to be shitting me," the ex-SOLDIER ground out, shaking his head, already walking toward the place. "Thanks for the help!" he yelled over his shoulder, taking off at a jog. "I better get him before they kill him!"

* * *

Zack noticed Cloud sitting in the furthest corner of the bar in a booth, two people leering close, one with his hand on the blond's hip.

"You're a cutie. You know, there's a room out back that we could have a little fun in," the second man tempted, running his fingers over Cloud's hand.

"I'm not drunk," Cloud mumbled, jerking his hand away from the second man's touch, "Go away."

Zack resisted the urge to smile.

"Aw, that's too bad, blondie. I could have had some fun with you. What, you got a boy?" the first man asked, ignoring Cloud's, "I'm not interested," demeanour.

"Bug off," Cloud smacked his hand on the table, demanding the server's attention. A moment later the bartender walked over and placed a shot of vodka on his table. Quickly, Cloud thrust his head back, the drink going expertly down.

"How can you do that?"

"Military. Fuck off."

"Ah, alright, candy, but you change your mind you know where to find us."

The two stood, leaving Cloud alone.

It took a moment for Zack to straighten and walk to Cloud. "I really didn't think you'd do that," he said as he pulled out the stool, situating himself on the hard wood.

The blond inhaled sharply. "Thanks for believing me. Know I can count on you." The bartender walked by again, pouring clear liquid into another shot glass. "I'm not a child, you know. How hard would it have been for you to tell me? Am I not trustworthy enough? Did you think because he was my idol I would have helped him? Did you think I would just accept it and move on?"

A deep burning sensation ran through Zack's heart. "I'm sorry, Cloud. I didn't want to keep it from you, you know. But… it was just so damn hard to tell you."

"Sephiroth… The great General… The Legendary SOLDIER First-Class… My idol. I should have known the minute I saw that damn sword sticking out of the President's back."

Leaning forward, Zack lightly placed his hand on Cloud's head. The teenager pushed the comfort away. "I'm not a kid, Zack," he bit.

"You aren't acting normal, Cloudy. I mean, you never really have an issue with me playing with your hair."

The blond shook his head, taking the vodka, swallowing in one gulp, "I'm just not drunk enough."

* * *

"Cloud, you're toasted," Zack remarked, watching the blond swivel around the stool they had moved to after the two men that had propositioned Cloud had left. "I don't think you should have any more. Come on, let's get you back to the inn where you can sleep off this bottle of vodka."

The blond shook his head, snickering. "Ain' drunk. Gimme more giiin. Geen… Zack, how do you say tha'?"

"It's gin- and when you can't pronounce the name of the thing you want, it's time to cut you off. I don't want to put you on my back 'cause there's the chance you're going to puke on me, but... We've been here for nearly four hours. It's surprising that the girls haven't sent out a search party for us yet. Now," he put his arm underneath Cloud, "up you go." Zack pulled Cloud's arm, the chair still spinning.

Cloud stumbled onto his knees, laughing. His Mako blue eyes squinted shut. "Ain' drunked."

"And I'm a virgin."

"You aren't?" the teenager's voice was completely serious, his face losing the boyish, drunken grin, "You've done  _it_?"

Zack snickered. "Yeah, Cloud. It isn't that big of a deal. Want me to carry you back? I don't think you can really stand without falling. Gravity doesn't like you."

"Guh, mmhmm." The blond reached his hand to grope at the fabric of Zack's trouser leg, attempting to pull himself up, "How did it go?"

"How did what go?" the ex-SOLDIER asked as he disentangled the boy from his pants. He was only listening to Cloud's words, as they made no sense, not really paying them much attention.

"The thing. Put the thingy in th' thingy." Cloud's eyes opened comically wide, "You took the thingy in the thingy!"

Zack groaned, holding Cloud by the stomach. "Yeah, sure. I don't have a clue what you're talking about, but whatever shuts you up. Now, let's go–"

"Thingy an' thingy!" Cloud laughed raucously and Zack still didn't understand.

* * *

"Shush, they're sleeping," Zack whispered into Cloud's hair, sensing Cloud was already half-unconscious.

"Yush."

Zack fought against the desire to tape his friend's mouth shut. Quickly, he shut the door behind them, grateful for the ability to see fairly well in the dark. It took a moment for him to find the empty bed and when he did he put Cloud down on the covers.

Cloud's clunky boots made a very loud sound as they hit the floor. In the furthest right bed, Barret snored on, oblivious. "Aw, shit," Zack angrily whispered, wincing at the loud sound. He reached forward, pulling on Cloud's belt,"Damn thing won't come lose."

"You puttin' the thingy in the thingy?" Cloud muttered half-asleep, jostling his hips to the side. His hand fumbled for his pants, pulling the zipper down.

"Whatever, let's just get these dirty clothes off you. They reek like a cheap bar." Zack tugged at the shirt, pulling it over his head easily. "Now in you go." Quickly, he pulled the other side's blankets down, helping Cloud in.

As Zack pulled away, Cloud's hand traveled to his wrist, pulling him into the bed with surprising force.

"Wha–! " the raven-haired man whispered as Cloud crushed their lips together. It was warm. The boy's hand reached down between their legs, grasping at the front of Zack's pants. Zack shivered as the warm skin fluttered at the bottom of his shirt, attempting to reach for his groin through the material, a warm tounge gliding over his bottom lip. Zack didn't open his mouth, too in shock to realize that Cloud's fingers had made it into his pants.

He pulled away quickly, seperating Cloud's body from his own.

"Tha's what I'm supposed to do?" Cloud's face looked red, and he was reaching down to further pull at his unzipped pants.

Zack got up, pulling his arm away from the blond's hand. He wiped off his lips with his shoulder. "Cloud, just go to sleep. You'll wake up in the morning with a hangover but you aren't going to remember any of this."

"'Kay." Cloud closed his glowing blue eyes, pushing his pants off and sliding into the blankets, his face becoming peaceful. "Tell me story."

"Maybe later kiddo," Zack smiled but behind the smile his mind was going wild.

* * *

_He's just wasted._

**No one gets that drunk. You don't just molest someone and not know what you're doing.**

_He's never been good with liquor. I mean, I remember how he got when he drank…_

**Cloud's sneakier than you think.**

_No, he's not. This is the kid who blushes if you mention him liking someone._

**Yet he has no problem kissing you, a man, while he's drunk. Nor did he mind grabbing for your-**

_But he's not gay. Just... no._

**You said the same thing: "I'm not gay!" and then who did you end up sleeping with? Zack, let's be honest with yourself, if even only this once.**

_Reno was different._

**That's why you've had sex with him. Or, as Cloud puts it, "Put the thingy in the thingy".**

_Oh! That's what he was talking about? I wasn't really paying much attention to him. I thought he was just babbling._

**Yes.**

_But he has Tifa fawning over him and I have Aeris. I love her._

**You can fall out of love. You did it with Reno.**

_Reno was sex without attachments. It wasn't love-I loved Aeris, even though I was with Reno. I just did it because it was release, nothing personal or loving about it._

**That's why he was willing to do just about anything for you and you him.**

_He was willing to let me top. That was about it._

**He saved you and Cloud.**

_On Tseng's order, apparently. And even then, he hasn't really done anything nice, now has he? Reno does what he wants-he doesn't care about anyone but himself and his needs._

**Who do you think you're convincing? He probably hasn't been with anyone since you left.**

_Which is why I found him in Corneo's brothel. He's been having sex with his share of women-he always has. He has had more sex partners than I could could on all of Shinra's employees. Fuck, half of them **were**_   _Shinra employees._

**Has he been with another man?**

_He said that he wasn't into guys. I was just something weird-kind of like how he was weird to me. We did each other, but we only did it with each other. He just wants a hole he can shove himself into. That's not love._

**Isn't that more of an answer?**

_No. And he didn't have any true feelings. And why are we talking about him?_

**Because I'm trying to point out the inability for you to realize what is in front of you. If you weren't able to see Reno's feelings or the feelings you had for him, why doesn't it surprise me that you can't see Cloud's?**

_Because it isn't there._

**Fine, then. Good luck with Aeris. You're already pushing her away.**

* * *

Zack woke to Cloud's groans of pain. The blond was twisting in the bed sheets, his hair plastered to his sweat-drenched face. Just a hangover, Zack initially thought when Cloud was merely tossing and turning, but that assumption changed when his mako blue eyes did not open and his mouth did not spurt something other than half-heard moans.

Groggily, Zack opened his eyes, noticing with some pleasure and thankfulness that someone – probably one of the girls – had taken time to draw the curtains tightly shut. It helped; it was not so painful to awaken as he had expected but… he had expected to get more sleep. His arms were still feeling much like lead as he lifted them to his eyes, rubbing. After a moment the stickiness went away and Zack fully opened his eyes, noticing the pallor of Cloud's face, the tightness of the jaw and, when he reached forward to touch the blond on the back, the tightened muscles of his back and the coldness of his skin.

"Cloudy, you okay?" he asked, leaning over concernedly. He reached one hand forward, feeling Cloud's forehead, which was cool to the touch. "Come on; if you're going to puke, you may as well get it done with now. I can get you a bucket or something."

A moment passed before the ex-SOLDIER realized that no, Cloud wasn't awake. "Lame. You woke me up and you aren't even awake?" He wasn't honestly angry with his friend; the kid looked sick and it was perhaps the best thing for Cloud to be doing considering how ill he had looked earlier. Even Zack had noticed it.

The blond shuddered violently and pulled the blanket up subconsciously. Teeth chattered a bit and Zack had to wonder if he had ever acted this way after getting drunk.  _Was_  this even from drunkenness? Perhaps a nightmare instead? Zack considered this after a second. It did make more sense, he reasoned, and lightly placed his hand through the blankets onto Cloud's shoulder.

"Cloud, you hear me? Come on. Get up," the words were soft but firm, like his hand on the his shoulder.

* * *

"That's the third time you've started to puke," Zack stated as he rubbed a washcloth against Cloud's forehead. He had woken up with a horrible hangover like Zack had predicted the night before and the blond was now dealing with the consequences of drinking nearly an entire bottle of vodka then polishing off gin on top of the fact.

"Why did you let me drink so much?" Cloud grumbled angrily, rubbing circles against his stomach. "You weren't supposed to do that. You're supposed to cut me off."

Zack raised one arched eyebrow. "Oh, now was I? Well, next time, when you're still sober, you should try to tell me that rather than just have me not know what to do with you. I mean, come on, give me something to work with. It wouldn't have taken more than a couple of words and you wouldn't be dealing with your head feeling like it's going to fall off. Gotta say though, it's kinda funny."

"Go choke."

"Oh, how you rip out my spleen, taking away my life!" The raven-haired man feigned pain, holding his arm to his stomach.

Cloud scoffed, "Your spleen isn't essential to survive," and as an afterthought, "you moron."

Zack rolled his eyes but grinned. "Use your head. I  _can_  be sarcastic, you know."

* * *

"We desperately need supplies," Tifa stated when she and Aeris showed up at the inn wielding several shopping bags filled with clothing. Aeris dropped off the bags on top of a bed before heading back out in search of Barret while Tifa continued. "I only had enough to buy some of the stuff we're going to need if you want us tracking from one corner of the Planet to the other. I tapped out half my savings on this and Aeris used even more to buy some phones for each of us. You're going to have to use some of your money to help out."

Zack nodded, holding his hand up to silence Tifa, "Fine, fine; I'll give you what you want and if you need more I can figure out a way to get more. It isn't like we're going to starve or anything."

The woman smiled encouragingly. "Of course not! We've got arms and legs and if worse comes to worse we can do some manual labor to get some gil. I also saw a sign for materia growth – some people don't want to risk going out of town to build up their materia. I know Aeris can do that quickly and efficiently." She cast her gaze to the furthest bed, "Oh, how's Cloud?"

"How did we jump from materia growth to Cloud?"

"Because I'm standing right behind you," came Cloud's voice. Zack spun around, surprised the blond had managed to sneak up on him. Cloud was scratching at his wet hair, water dripping off him to collect on the floor in a puddle. He was wrapped in a towel, looking at Tifa's bags.

Zack swore. "Damn, I thought you were going to be in there forever. Since when does it take three hours to shower? Did you put your clothes in the corner with the rest? Aeris wants to take soap to them in a little while." Zack turned back to Tifa, who held out a paper bag as an offering. "Clothes for Cloud?" he questioned.

"Yeah. We figured everyone needed new stuff. If we're going to be traveling, our clothes are going to get pretty torn. I don't know about you but my sewing skills are terrible. Better to just spend the gil than to wear the same damn things daily."

"But I like my SOLDIER outfit."

Tifa's mouth twitched in what Zack took to be an amused smile, "Then you can keep your damn SOLDIER outfit," she relented, "Just don't expect Aeris to be fixing it every day. It's not like those uniforms are easy to come by. And anyway, the pants and shirt aren't the main parts of the outfit. Just keep the belt, pauldrons and boots and you'll be fine."

Zack took the bag she offered, opened it and began pulling out a few things. Seriously, Zack turned to Cloud. "The answer to your question holds the key to the world. Which do you prefer: boxers or tighty-whiteys?"

It took a moment for the question to sink into Cloud's brain. There was a brief moment of silence then Cloud whapped the ex-SOLDIER across the head, sending the package of boxers spilling loose from Zack's grasp.

"Damn, you're just stealing all of my fun. Is it so hard to please a guy by answering a question?"

"My underwear," the blond snapped angrily, "is none of your concern. Have I gone through your underwear?"

"I'm not sure I really want to know, Chocobo-head. I mean, they  _are_  my underwear, after all and it's pretty weird to think about you sifting through them." A look of mock-horror crossed Zack's face, "Oh, now you know my deep, dark secret of owning chick panties! What can I say? They're so comfortable and they grip my hips in that perfect way…"

This time the smacks came from two directions.

* * *

Zack slept better than he had the first night. The rest of the party seemed equally content. Somehow Red had been able to convince Barret that he wouldn't suddenly decide to gnaw on the man's arm and had gained permission to sleep at the foot of the bed. Aeris had been able to cast a slight warming spell on the mattress, which kept the middle bed warm, unlike the past night when both occupants had been fighting for blanket rights.

But the best reason was that Cloud wasn't attempting to feel Zack up in the middle of his sleep.

Zack still wasn't angry – the blond had been drunk, hadn't known what he was doing. If, by some stupid chance, Zack had led the blond on the night before by telling him 'yes' (not even knowing that he was saying so), Cloud didn't remember any of it. When Cloud had woken and puked up the contents of his stomach he hadn't said anything to Zack.

During the entire day Zack had spoken with hesitation, expecting something he would say would suddenly trigger some memory to pop into Cloud's mind, forcing him to recall the previous night. Minding his tongue was a small price to pay to ensure Cloud stayed forgetful. It was easier that way.

Zack could keep it secret.

He justified his silence because he was protecting Cloud, Aeris and Tifa… but if he was being honest that wasn't the full truth. He wanted to keep this, this tiny secret locked up so he didn't have to share it with anyone. It didn't make sense. Granted, nothing ever seemed to make sense when it involved Cloud but it was still something he couldn't share, something… special. It would never have happened if Cloud had all his wits about him.

Another part of his brain said it was to keep Tifa from thinking that Zack was a skeeze-ball. Zack knew she loved Cloud above all, and he wanted to stop anything from endangering that already fragile flower trying to bloom in the middle of a snowstorm. The pair already had enough chances and elements working against them. He didn't want to add another.

Zack cast his gaze over the flower girl. Aeris was so sweet and innocent, willing to give up anything to make him happy ( _even suggesting he take her body, the one thing she had refused to even discuss_ ) even putting her happiness after his own. She loved him enough to accept his mistakes without judgment, to let him be free ( _she didn't turn away from him when he admitted to being with others… he had even spoken about Reno without inciting her anger_ ). When he'd told her he'd been with people while they were together she hadn't become angry, just disappointed.

Cloud though…

Zack knew she wouldn't react well to the idea that Cloud had kissed him,  _seriously_ kissed him, not like the few jokes they'd indulged in.

Besides, how mortified would Cloud be to know what he did while drunk?

 _Just go to sleep and forget about this,_  Zack told himself, curling up in the bed, Cloud's hand a few inches from his face. He looked peaceful, the bags under his eyes seeming to fade as Zack watched. It was nice.

Why it was nice Zack didn't know, but he thought it had something to do with worrying about his friend. After all, Zack knew he never denied anything. He delved headfirst into whatever awaited him ( _Reno had on more than one occasion told him that there was no one, not even himself, that could lie so well and not look guilty about it_ ).

Gently, Zack touched Cloud's hand, linking their fingers. He wanted to somehow calm his friend, he rationalized, a preventive measure to keep Cloud from having another nightmare.

He was getting good at turning lies into truth.

* * *

"Yo, Spiky! We ain't got all day. Don' wanna stay here too long, right?" Barret said the next morning over breakfast. A bit of egg hung in his beard, but other than that one flaw the black man actually looked serious.

"Uh, yeah. Red says he heard a couple of the townspeople talking about a guy in black leather heading to the southwest. There's a small town along the way and we should be there by tomorrow if we start walking soon. I talked to the guy who owns a store 'round here, said he's got the rest of our shit at his place. We just have to pick it up and buy some more non-perishables."

Zack watched the five others react to his information, some with indifference like Red and others, like Cloud, who seemed ready to go.

"Good. I don't wanna waste no more time waitin' 'round here for you to get yo ass ready. You said you wanna catch this freak show, Sephiroth, an' that's what we're gunna do." All that was missing from Barret's expressive speech was the man banging his hand down onto the table.

Resisting the urge to remind the AVALANCHE leader that he wasn't elected leader, Zack bit into another piece of toast. The taste wasn't bad - a bit dry, but it was food, something he'd missed while traveling to Kalm. The most the group had eaten was small furry creatures they had killed and a few fruits and herbs Aeris had classified as safe. Granted, there wasn't much on the open road except grass, which Barret had suggested they eat but a few things they had stumbled across could have lead to serious sickness or even death. Aeris had stated  _that_  particular warning very sternly. No one had dared even think of touching anything Aeris said no to: she was a Cetra, an Ancient. If anyone knew anything about the land, she would.

"Uh, yeah," Zack said again, "we'll leave in a little while. Just, can we, you know, finish our breakfast? And you've got egg in your beard." He raised his hand to his own smooth face, rubbing at it.

"Here." Tifa leaned over the table, brandishing a napkin in Barret's face. She wiped off the mess then placed the soiled napkin next to his plate. "You're hopeless, the lot of you. Aeris, does Zack sit there and stare, confused, when you talk to him?"

Aeris, who had been taking a sip of her juice, coughed. Zack saw her reach up to prevent anything from shooting out of her mouth. "Oh, sometimes," she waved her hand lightly.

"Ouch, babe, that hurts. Me, stare confusedly? Just 'cause you don't see my face all the time you've got to go making assumptions…"

Cloud glanced up from his own meal. "Oh please. You only understand half of what I talk about."

"Cloudy! You break my heart, doll. You're supposed to stand up for me but all you do is side with the girls. Anyway, what makes you so different from me, eh?"

Tifa gave a quick laugh. "Oh, not allowing the testosterone in his body to control all brain function is one reason." She lifted her hand and began counting off the reasons, "Then there's the fact that he speaks the human language–"

"I speak the human language!"

"You speak man-speak. Grunts, belches, scratching at your stomach, comparing the size of your swords…"

"Literal or metaphorical swords?"

"The constant sexual innuendos." Her third finger waved proudly in the air like a death sentence for the male species.

The others laughed and all Zack could do was shrug. It wasn't a lie.

* * *

"My feet aren't doing too well," Aeris said as she tossed down her pack, sitting on top of it. Zack watched her tug at the laces of her brown boots, loosening them until her socked feet could wriggle out. There was a bit of blood on one foot. She sighed, "Another blister. Everybody, I think you should take a minute to sit down and check yourselves. The materia I've got is strong so if you have any bigger wounds I suggest you show them to me."

Zack sat down, watching Tifa flopped down next to him and pull off her gloves. Her arms were severely bruised, the blackened skin contrasting with the natural color of her wrist. "No problem with my feet but that last monster that attacked us bruised up my knuckles. Aeris, if you could?" she lifted the hands into Aeris' s line of sight. Zack could see the discomfort in her eyes as Aeris carefully examined the other woman.

"You should have told me sooner," the green-eyed woman stated, pulling the green ball of Mako from her bangle.

"Sorry about making you guys walk all this way but we don't have the money for a car. Maybe with all that materia Aeris got from that lady we'll be able to save up and get one later. What do you have to do when we get to the next town?"

Aeris pat Tifa's now healed hands, returning her attention to her feet. Gently, she pulled each sock off, wincing as the wound stuck to the cotton. "Ouch," she muttered softly after a moment, taking in a deep breath before continuing, "I have to send her the materia in the mail. It'll take a few hours at the most to get it to her by chocobo and she'll send me the amount of money for the amount of experience. And before you ask, no, there's no way, as you would put it, she'll 'gip' us. She'll send the gil."

Quickly, the wounds on her feet disappeared. She let out a labored breath. "Now, are you okay?" she asked the others.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Guys?" Zack turned his head, looking back to the rest of the group. Cloud had a small gash on his forehead and Barret was grumbling about his knee, which he had fallen heavily on a few miles back. Zack grinned, "Back to work, eh, princess?"

Aeris lightly touched her brown hair, adjusting the long braid in the back. "Looks like I do. Now, if you'd excuse me, I'll go make sure everyone has nothing to grumble about. I have a feeling Barret's itching for you to do something silly, giving him an excuse to swoop in and take your place."

After giving a tiny giggle, Aeris slipped her shoes back on and walked away, leaving Zack to contemplate how serious her warning was. Surely they weren't going to give him the boot, right?

 _Aw, I hope not. I kinda feel like I was made for this job._ He sighed and scratched his head. There was now little to do but wait.

* * *

Kanon, a small town with a population of twenty-six hundred inhabitants, left Zack sore. The people had been kind enough to let Zack rent out rooms in the inn that probably hadn't been slept in by outsiders for years and they hadn't shown open dislike on their faces, but the violet-eyed man had noticed the speculation in the air. Visitors of any kind were a rarity for the Kanon townsfolk. Such a diverse group – a red-furred beast more civilized than most humans, two mako-eyed SOLDIERs, an overly-busty woman (Zack had searched the crowd and it seemed no one even had half of Tifa's chest) who was poking an overly-aggressive black man with a gun grafted onto his arm (he was scarier than all the others added together) and an innocent-looking ladywho was attempting to stay off conflict. Zack heard a group of gaggling women wondering out loud why such a woman would be traveling with a pack of weirdos.

Zack had gone searching through the entire town for a bank and post office. It had taken two sweeps of the entire town before he'd thought to give a burned-out building closer inspection. He'd discovered the remnants of an old post office. Three years ago it had caught fire and now the office had been conveniently relocated to the inn's basement.

"How in Gaia was I supposed to know it was down there?"

"Well," Tifa snarled, wiping her brow, "if you had bothered to ask anyone you would have found it rather than dragging us around like we were chocobos!"

Zack coughed into his hand. "Well, er, you see, I don't like asking people for directions. They get me all lost."

"We noticed that. You could have just let one of us find it!" Aeris sounded annoyed, a rarity for her. "That wouldn't have been too difficult now, would it?"

"Maybe not, but... I'm sorry for dragging you guys around but at least now we don't have to worry about finding it."

Tifa snorted, rolling her eyes. "Zack, maybe we should let Red be leader. He was at least willing to ask for directions."

"And get my tail stepped on in response," Red added in a cold voice.

"Sorry about that! I told you it wasn't my fault: Cloud was trying to pull me to one of the stalls lining the road and I didn't want to go!"

Red stared at him with his one good eye.

The raven-haired man lifted his hands in surrender, taking in a breath. "Fine, I get it. You want an apology? Well, fine, there; you've got one. Now can we just go get a delivery boy so we can send this thing on its way?"

* * *

The inn's room was smaller than Zack had expected. There were three beds but unlike Kalm's spacious room there was barely a crevice to walk through. A small table held a bouquet of daisies but the room was barren of other decorations. Colors were plain, dull browns and greens; the only splash of color was the yellow petals.

Cloud laid down on one of the beds and closed his eyes. Zack noticed the intense difference between the hair on the blond's head, rich and vibrant, against the brown comforter as he rolled over a little, nuzzling his nose into the blanket.

"A little tired there, Cloudy?" Zack dropped a few bags at the foot of the bed, the clink of glass and other odds and ends at the bottom of the brown bag sounding through the room. It seemed to disturb Cloud, who buried his head further into the bed.

"What do you think? You dragged us around the town then made us go shopping," he quickly yawned, lifting his head, "so yeah, I'm a little tired."

Scratching his head, Zack sighed before belly flopping onto the bed next to Cloud. "Sorry," he said, mimicking the blond's actions, placing his nose into the blanket. It smelled like wheat and the sun. "Didn't know I was a slave driver."

Cloud let out a breath and sat up. "Well, we're the first back. I guess we got our shopping done before the rest. It's quiet in here."

"It's a quiet town," Zack said, putting his hands under his head. "I swear I haven't even heard so much as a baby crying. That's really creepy, especially since we were in Midgar for so damn long where you couldn't walk down a block without hearing a gunshot or someone screaming."

The blond's face grew pensive. "I've missed this quietness. Growing up in the middle of nowhere you get used to all this," he lifted his hands up, gesturing to the room, the inn, the town. "I think that once we're done chasing Sephiroth I'll go to some small town and stay there. I'm done with the big city."

Zack's mouth gaped open. "You've gotta be shitting me!" he laughed, sitting up, slapping his leg at the joke, "This can't be true, right? Okay, okay, you're sick of Midgar, but maybe Junon? You remember that place; it's so pretty there–"

"–If you want to fight through the smog to see the sun. I don't want to live like that anymore. Two years in the military getting the shit kicked out of me then five years in a tube of mako. I think the only thing that will help my claustrophobia now is a lot of room. No small places. No places that block out light." He turned his head towards Zack. "So, you're going to drag Aeris to some big city after this is done and have a bunch of city babies?"

"City babies? Well, I think they'd be cute city babies. If they had my hair and eyes and Aeris's nose and ears then they'd be the cutest babies out there. Maybe even cuter than your own blonde-haired, brown-eyed babies, but Minerva help you if you have any girls. With Tifa's genes, you'll have to have the biggest gun in whatever town you decide to live in. All the parents had one for me. My family line kind of had this thing for the wild side; I swear, there had to be at least four illegitimate brother and sisters running around my town."

"What makes you think I'll be marrying Tifa? She's my friend–"

"–who you've had a crush on for years. And now, after all that time away from you, it's obvious that she likes you."

Zack's words caused Cloud to scoff, "Oh, please."

Silence fell; a feeling of foreboding filtered into the air. Cloud lay back down, burying his head into the pillows. Zack noticed the small frown on the boy's face and he had to resist the urge to pull a silly face to make the frown disappear.

"Why do you get so sad, Cloud? Are you depressed? Do you need a hug?" To prove a point, he grabbed Cloud by the stomach, holding him close. "See, all you need is a little lovin' and then you'll lighten up."

Cloud hesitated for a moment before he pulled away, "Zack, you're a weirdo. I wonder sometimes why Aeris likes you."

"Because she knows our babies are going to be cute, that's why."

"But what if she doesn't want to marry you and live in Junon with little black-haired babies? What do you plan on doing then?"

Zack opened his mouth but no answer came.

Deep inside him, past the kidneys, past the intestines… deep within, somewhere Zack couldn't exactly pin-point, there was a fear. What if Aeris didn't want little black-haired babies running around? Since he had met Aeris, Zack had only pictured one future. Beyond the black-haired secretaries and their cats, beyond the red-haired man who made his head spin in ways Zack had never expected, beyond the one night stands he had expected that once he finished growing up, Aeris would be there.

Why had he expected Aeris to stay? Because he knew she loved him? Or was it because Aeris had never been with someone else? Maybe he was depending too much on the expected. His mother had told him before he had left that he would end up marrying some young girl, who was too innocent for their age, and that's why he had become so close with Aeris. She was sweet and one of the prettiest girls Zack had ever laid eyes on but why would she want to marry him? True, there had been a time when he was making quite a bit of money but now, as a runaway from SOLDIER…? How was he supposed to take care of babies when he could barely take care of himself?

Zack was twenty-three. His father had been twenty-three when Zack turned four. Immature, childish, skirt-chasing… these were a few words that began to explain the ex-SOLDIER's nature. He had the body of an eighteen-year-old and the mentality to match. How could teenager with no money, who was chasing after a psychotic man possibly even think about marriage let alone kids?

But… was that  _really_ why he was afraid? Something in his mind told him to dig a little deeper but whenever he tried to look at his true feelings he couldn't see past Aeris, smiling at him, her green eyes expressive.

A younger love, Zack mused.

This entire situation, the faces floating in front of his eyes, just made his brain ache as if it was pounding against his skull. How was he supposed to worry about love? Wasn't he supposed to be worried about getting Sephiroth, exacting revenge?

Zack turned on the bed and decided, from the look Cloud's face, that there was enough hate in Cloud's heart to lead them on further, enough to help aid his own anger. When Sephiroth had been sane he had been friend and enemy, idol and opponent. Now there was nothing left but the cold touch of Jenova, the searing pain of mako and a disgust for people who hadn't wronged him.

Was this what lurked in Zack's future? Everyone he'd known had gone insane: Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth. Was that his fate too?

"Don't know, Cloud. Maybe I'll just marry you 'cause you say you won't be marrying Tifa." Zack saw Cloud's face turn a vibrant hue of red and the fist near his side balling up. Hastily, he backtracked, "Okay, okay, forget the suggestion! I don't need you breaking my nose, princess."

Cloud glared menacingly at Zack, who gulped. "What did I tell you about calling me princess?"

"Something about maiming me, right? That takes most of the fun out of the situation but because you get so anal about it, I'll stop."

* * *

"Zack, we just made five thousand gil!" Aeris yelled as she entered the room, clapping her hands together in wild joy, "Five thousand! I never thought I could make so much money!"

Her enthusiasm disturbed Zack's dozing. Beside him, the blond simply groaned, mumbled for the older woman to be quiet and shoved his head under the pillow. Zack wanted to follow the blond's example but when he saw Aeris's affronted face he gave a quick smile and pushed himself off the bed, giving the woman a quick kiss on the cheek. He felt her face try to change directions, but Zack pulled away.

"Well, that's great!" Zack exclaimed softly, motioning toward the door, which was ajar. "Let's go out here and celebrate. Cloud didn't get much sleep so I don't want to bug him. He isn't very nice when he's running on no sleep." He opened the door, letting Aeris leave first.

"He did look rather tired. So do you... Maybe you should go back to sleep and we can talk about this later. I was thinking about heading out with Red to a small store. He said he saw some wonderful equipment and since we  _do_  have five thousand gil we don't really have to worry about the expenses."

"Okay, you go do that. I think I'll go catch a few more zzz's. Talk to you later, hun?" For a moment the ex-SOLDIER stood there, at a loss as to how to proceed.

The green-eyed woman gave a sad smile and nodded. "Of course. Maybe you'll come with us later, help pick out some stuff?"

Zack quickly nodded, already reaching for the doorknob. "Sure. Nighty."

* * *

The store was filled with various knick-knacks. Picking up a small lamp, Zack examined the worn paint and the burnt-out light bulb. There was a crack down the middle, Zack noticed after a second and before the owner could notice him holding the broken lamp he hid it beneath an old pillowcase.

"Aeris," Zack asked after a moment, "what are we getting from here?"

Aeris pointed to the back where a few tents lined the walls. "We should get those. They aren't really expensive and they're much better than the one that we have right now. Look, this one is plastic and won't fall down when the rain comes."

"That wasn't my fault. How was I supposed to know it wouldn't fit all of us?"

The brown-haired woman smacked her hand against her head, her braid swinging behind her head. "Measurements, silly."

Zack blinked. After a moment, Aeris laughed. "You surprise me sometimes," she said. "How did you get into the military not knowing how to cook, clean, or how to put up a tent? Sometimes I wonder if you would even survive without Cloud or me."

"You make it sound like I'm a hopeless puppy."

A cough came from behind a pile of green cloth that Zack thought was a wedding dress. "Sorry 'bout the mess. Normally Max cleans up but I've got no clue where he is. Probably lost underneath all of this stuff if you want to know the truth."

"It's alright. We actually want to buy these tents."

The shop owner somehow managed to untangle himself from the green blob, which was looking more and more like one of the monsters from the old movies Zack had seen playing on re-run when he was a SOLDIER. The first thing he noticed about the man was the deep gray streak through otherwise black hair, which reminded him of yet another horror movie. He stuck out his hand, offering it to Zack.

"The name's Jak. I'm the owner of this store. So, you're interested in those old things? They've been here for about three years, never been slept in but they work just fine. I had Max check them out last month. We got rid of a lot of broken stuff."

Zack was barely able to resist the urge to laugh considering he had shoved a piece of trash under the pillowcase the man was now touching. "Ah, see?" Jak pulled out the broken lamp, placing it properly back on the shelf. "One man's junk is another man's treasure."

"Ah, I get it," the ex-SOLDIER laughed.

"Hopeless," the woman muttered under her breath, causing Zack's smile to widen.

"Er, sir?" Zack asked, barely resisting the urge to smile deeper, "Can I ask you a question?"

Jak waved his hand. "Sure, go ahead. Just don't call me 'sir'. Makes me feel older than I actually am."

"Well, Aeris here thinks I can't take care of myself. Do you think I'd survive on my own or do I need a woman guiding me?"

The older shopkeeper chuckled. "You seem like you're a pretty strong guy, but from personal experience I've gotta say no. Why? Because I know for a fact I wouldn't survive a week without Max putting food on the table and organizing the store. Speaking of which, is that you?"

Zack turned to see a blond walking in through the door, holding a large box in front of him. "Jak, come get this before I drop the damn thing. Post office has a few more from Wutai. Apparently the stuff for the house came in. Oh, we've got customers?"

Jak walked by, placing a kiss on the other man's cheek. Zack heard Aeris squeak.

The two parted, Max handing over the brown wrapped packages then looking to Zack and Aeris. "Max Higgins. Nice to meet you." He nodded to Zack, shaking both the ex-SOLDIER and Aeris's hands. "And it seems you've met my airhead partner here. Foolish baby can't even pick up a few boxes. Or, for that matter, clean up shop."

"I resent that, actually. Just keep blaming me for my little problems with house work, why don't you?"

 _These two bicker like an old married couple,_ Zack thought, looking at both men again. They vaguely reminded Zack of some people he thought he had seen a long time ago, perhaps while in SOLDIER.  _No, I'm sure of it._

"So, we'll take those tents. And I'll have to take your opinion on the situation. Can't survive without someone tucking me in at night. Gotcha."

* * *

"Rise and shine, Cloud! We've got an hour before we start walking again. You've been sleeping since yesterday." Zack pulled on the bottom of the sheets, causing Cloud to automatically curl up into a ball, his shaved legs gaining goose-bumps. "Now that you're nice and cold, why don't you get your ass moving and into the shower? Breakfast's on the table already so you better get a move on."

"Bastard," Cloud grumbled, feebly reaching forward for the blankets with his feet. "Give 'em back."

The raven-haired man shook his head, holding the blankets a few feet away. "Nuh-uh, Chocobo-head. Wakey, wakey, wakey."

* * *

"Who's going to take the first look-out shift?" Tifa asked as she pulled her hair up, wiping the sweat from her face. There was a flush on her cheeks from the steam of the broth she had just created, her fingers red from cutting up potatoes.

Zack turned his spoon in his bowl of stew, watching the thick brown liquid slop against the plastic side. "I think it's Barret tonight. Red had the last shift yesterday and before that Cloud, and before him it was me. You and Aeris are going to be tonight, after Barret." Without looking, the raven-haired man lifted the spoon to his lips, taking a taste. It was a bit tangy, but didn't seem so bad after a brief moment. He swallowed, nodding his head appreciatively to the busty fighter. "Not bad. I think Cloud could probably out-cook you, but that's alright."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Please, he can barely uncork a bottle, let alone cook something out of anything that isn't in a can."

"That's how Shinra taught me how to cook." Cloud walked forward, taking a sip from the side of the bowl. "And this is much better than anything I've tried to cook. Really Tifa, just ignore Zack. He's got a bug wedged up his ass, and I don't think Aeris wants to be digging out another one. Am I on watch tonight?"

"Naw, I'm doin' it tonigh'. You girls get sum' sleep. Ain't gotta worry 'bout me. I can take yur turn," Barret yelled from across the way, where he was trying to put up the tents. "Now, how'd ya get this fuckin' thing up yesterday, Spiky?"

"Just connect the points. There are little black dots—just put the ends together where the same dots are." The black man shook his head. "It isn't all that hard. If you need some help just tell me."

"Don't need your fuckin' help!" Barret roared, tossing a few white sticks into a grassy area.

Tifa leaned over to Zack, whispering into his ear, "I think you should go help him before he breaks the damn thing. Stubborn." She leaned back, scratching her nose.

A moment passed before he stood, putting his bowl on a nearby tree stump. "Oh, fine. I am your whipping boy, Tifa." Exaggerating a deep bow, Zack heard them laughing.

* * *

There was a pack of Kalm Fangs that attacked the camp the next morning. As the sun rose (with Barret giving off a deep snore) Zack sat next to the dying embers, his drowsy eyes blinking open. A new set of bundled sticks lay on the ground and the ex-SOLDIER sent flames at them, hoping for them to catch and burn. A pot of water sat next to him, ready to be put into the fire to create the usual morning coffee.

Barret had fallen asleep sometime before Zack had woken, the man already deeply snoring, his feet propped up on a log, a small pillow from the tents on the ground under his head. So, when a group of six wolves slinked into the camp, the only person awake was a half-asleep ex-SOLDIER who hadn't even had a cup of coffee, let alone a weapon within arm's distance.

"Shit!" Zack yelled, bleary-eyed, jumping up and knocking the pot of water to the ground. Thirteen steps to the tents, to his weapon, but it was less than a foot to Barret. Zack jumped over the bundle of sticks, smacking the heel of his foot into Barret's face. The older man let out a grunt of pain, opening his black eyes.

"Whut you wan'?"

"Pack of Kalm Fangs!" Zack explained quickly, pulling on the man's arm to make him stand. The larger black man moved quicker than expected, fumbling himself up from the ground, pointing his gun wildly. "You start fighting, I'll go get my sword—"

"No time, use yur fuckin' feet!" Barret blinked, experimentally shooting a few bullets to the general vicinity of the wolves.

 _Use my fucking feet—you've got to be shitting me,_  Zack thought as he kicked his unclothed feet into the grass. He could do it, sure, but damn was it not going to be fun.

"Let's do this shi'!" Barret hocked his head, letting a myriad of bullets spew forth from his gun.

Zack cracked his toes.

* * *

The first monster attacked Zack, snapping its long, pointed teeth at the ex-SOLDIER. He was barely able to lift his fist and smash it into the wolf's snout. It made a deep, cracking sound, the monster reeling back in time to receive several shots to the skull. In that moment three more jumped forward from the pack, heading straight toward the occupied Barret.

"Move!" Zack roared. He jumped over the dead carcass of the first wolf, violently kicking the closest wolf in the skull. It snapped its teeth around his ankle, causing Zack to fall backwards, reacting by kicking out with his other foot. Another wolf was an uncomfortable distance to his face—Zack could see the saliva on its snout, the blood-red color of its eyes.

The ex-SOLDIER thrust out his hands, grabbing the monster by the neck and pushed his fingers into the soft flesh of the eye-sockets. The wounded beast gave out a pitiful whine and Zack used the body to fling into the Fang still attached to his ankle. Blood spurted forward and Zack ignored the pain.

"Can you move faster?" Zack shouted, pounding his fist into the stomach of another wounded monster, feeling the bones inside crushing and powdering into a fine dust.

Zack snapped his head when he heard a zipper coming undone, the blood-red sky illuminating the tent where both Red and Cloud were sleeping.

"Get back in—" Zack yelled when he saw Cloud's head poke out, but stopped when he saw the Buster Sword hanging from one of the blond's hands. Quicker than Zack had ever seen Cloud move, he ran forward, Red following behind him. The red-furred beast launched itself at one of the few non-injured animals, fighting to pull out its jugular.

The blond jumped past Red and a bullet-riddled Kalm Fang, tossing the sword easily into the sky to Zack, who deftly caught the heirloom in his hand. Spinning around, Zack cut the throat of another snarling monster, watching the beast fall limply to the side. It was dead, much like the rest of the mutilated corpses.

* * *

_I hate wolves,_  Zack decided. As he surveyed the damage to his ankle, Aeris rubbing water over the punctures. He hissed as the hot water coated his leg, shaking with the pain.

"That hurts more than the bite," Zack whined, using his other foot to crack into the closest dead carcass.

"Don't kick it more, moron," Cloud stated as he dropped a few sticks in front of the now-blazing fire. "It's actually pretty good that we got so many Fangs. The guys in Kanon told me that there was an intense need for their teeth. We can just rip them out and sell them at the next town over. They use them to make some type of potions."

Zack gnashed his teeth together again, his foot jerking to the side, out of Aeris's hand. She held a medicine tube out in front of her, a thick blue cream covering her fingers. "Can't you just use the materia and get it over with?"

Aeris shook her head no. "Sorry, I can't do that. You were bitten by a wild beast and Holy knows what exactly was in its mouth. It would be best to just stay still and keep your foot elevated for twenty minutes after I put this cream on. It'll stop the pain, I promise." She leaned down placing a chaste kiss on one of the wounds.

"Owww," Zack groaned as Aeris pulled her head back, slathering the wound with the thick blue medicine. "You hate me, don't you?"

This caused the woman to giggle, wiping there hands in the grass next to her. "Of course I don't, silly. I just worry about your health. I don't want to have to hold you down as Cloud cuts off your infected leg."

"Ouch, Aeris. Would you do that to me, Cloud?"

Cloud, who had been poking the dead monster with a stick, looked up. "If it saved your life, yeah, I'd cut off your leg. Now, Red, do you think we could get this thing's teeth out of its mouth without breaking its head open?"

"Whoa, you'd cut off my leg? What, you'd cut of my little Zack if it saved me?" The violet-eyed man's eyes widened, thrusting his hands to the front of his pants, as if holding them before him would protect his precious 'little Zack.'

"Never said that, but yeah, I'd cut it off. You're more important. Aeris, don't you agree?"

The woman nodded her head, moving a few sticks into the fire. "There are ways to be happy without sex, Zack. I'd rather have you alive than have you dead because you couldn't part with what's in your pants."

Zack buried his head in his arms, looking at his leg. The blue mixture was mixed with the reddish brown drying blood, and it reminded Zack of a purplish liquid Hojo had once forced him to drink. The smell of the liquid wafted through his nose, like the memory spinning into his mind. How long ago had that been, he thought, scratching his head. Seven years at least; he had been sixteen then, a SOLDIER Third-Class who had just graduated from the Academy, no longer a grunt.

"Well, I don't want to say goodbye to it," Zack said out loud, but the only person who heard was Red, who wagged his fire-tail.

* * *

"That's the third fat chocobo I've seen in the past hour." Cloud pointed his finger to the horizon, the lush green grassland housing another flock of the yellow birds, being led by a deep green chocobo. "And," Cloud pointed to the leader, "that's the second strange-colored bird. Are all these birds wild?"

Zack hoisted the bag further onto his back, looking over to the birds. "Well, I guess so. Probably were once owned; you see how that bird bends its talons? The one in the front? Well, that's how the Chocobo Breeders in the Gold Saucer teach their chocobos to run." A brief flash came into Zack's eyes of Cloud wearing a shirt with an adorable chocobo emblazoned on the front. He snickered, gaining a few confused looks from his comrades. "Sorry," he laughed.

"I have heard of such a place—an amusement park large enough to be its own city. It's built in the center of the Corel Desert, inaccessible other than by chocobo and car. There is also the railway... How interesting—it would be nice to see such a contraption."

There was a moment of silence, Barret giving a grunt. "Le's not talk 'bout tha'. Ain't good an' we oughta' be lookin' for this farm. Right, Spiky?"

Zack relaxed a bit, putting both hands over his head. "Yeah. The guys said it wasn't all that big, but it was hard to miss. There are a bunch of chocobo tracks in front of the place, and there are a few tiny-ass houses 'round it. There should also be a dirt track leading toward it."

"And there's the swamp land. We've got to get a chocobo and get across that thing," Tifa added to the conversation.

"I believe that is the place that we have been searching for. Zack." Zack looked down to his knees, seeing Red's head. "We are approaching our destination, right?"

Lifting his hands to his eyes, cupping them like binoculars, Zack happily nodded his head. "Yep, there it is—red and really ugly."

* * *

Two hours and a bruised eye on Zack's part later (Cloud had jumped back when one of the Chocobos attempted to pluck his eyes out, hitting Zack in the face with his flailing arm) Zack decided that he had been ripped off.

The man, Chocobo Bill, had squeezed out over a thousand gil from the group after finding out that they were desperate for chocobos—Cloud had spoken to the grandson about the swampy area to the Mythril mines, and the Midgar Zolom. It was a snake, Cloud had explained fervently as he made large gestures with his hands, that had killed off an entire town without so much as leaving a bone. _That's what they got for building a town so close to the muck_ , Zack had thought as he nodded his head to Cloud's words.

"There's no way in Gaia that we're going to be leaving this damned place without chocobos and that's that."

Zack rolled his eyes, grabbing hold of Cloud's shoulders. "Cloudy-boy, it's something that this guy uses to convince people to spend lots of money of shit they don't need! Really, do you want to waste a thousand gil on something that isn't actually real? Really, think about it—would you want to spend so much damn money on something that you don't even know has killed anyone, or even really exists?"

"Zack, if you don't spend this money I will tie you up and let a wild chocobo drag you through the swamps, and then you can tell me if the Midgar Zolom exists. How does that sound?" Cloud slapped the raven-haired man's head with his hand, causing Zack to release the blonde's shoulders.

So, Zack had shelled out a thousand gil, gritting his teeth as he handed the money over to the farmer, chocobo dung staining the bottom of his overalls. Cloud stood next to him, his arms crossed in front of him, leaning against the doorframe.

"Wasn't so hard, now was it?" Cloud asked, pushing himself away from the doorframe, out of the dilapidated building.

"Just watch, Cloud. You're going to feel like a fool when we get over there and all you're going to see is a bunch of fucking swampland. There is no such thing as the Midgar Zolom and we just wasted money on it. I think I'll go find Aeris and tell her that we're going to have to start skinning everything we kill and ripping out their teeth. Maybe she'll be able to find someone who needs their materia built up, but the Planet only knows when that's going to happen." He took a step toward the pen, reaching his hand out to touch the feathers of one of the birds. Cloud stood behind Zack, keeping both hands away from the gate.

"They're cute in that disturbing kind of way," Cloud explained, "like—"

Zack turned, scoffing at the blonde. "They aren't disturbing, really. They actually look like you. Big head, spiky yellow hair, and the way your toes curl when you're cold kinda looks like talons."

"Oh, thanks. Now I look like some big stuffy bird. I don't like the things, but they are pretty useful."

"You know what'd be funny? When, after all this is done and over with, you being proven wrong about the entire thing with this Zolom, I ship you off with the birds into the wild. I wonder—would you be considered a girl chocobo or a boy? I'm looking at both, and I just can't pick."

"And if I was to throw you in there they would pluck out your eyes. Wait—what's that attached to the bird's neck?" Cloud walked forward, next to Zack, putting both feet up on the fence. He leaned forward, his shoulder jutting into Zack. After a moment of noticing the scent, a mixture of sandalwood and cherry, Zack leaned forward into the blond's hair.

A small strand of Cloud's hair tickled his nose. "Are you using the girl's shampoo?"

Cloud leaned back up, dangling a small red ball in front of Zack's eyes. "I think it's a Summons. Heaven's know why it's attached to a bird, but I don't care. I think I like it."

"Watch yourself. It'll probably drop something big on your head if you aren't careful. They never really liked me much."

Zack watched the small ball in Cloud's hands roll on the little string. "Well, maybe you just didn't treat it right. They don't like it when you don't call them out often or forget to be nice. They aren't like normal materia; they're temperamental."

"How do you know that?"

Cloud wrapped the small string around his wrist, the materia dangling. "Materia Training One-Oh-One. Main training course you have to go through at the Academy."

 _Damn, I forgot how many classes I slept through._  Zack scratched his spiky black hair. "Err, maybe they added it later on?"

"Probably," Cloud agreed, nodding his head in agreement.

* * *

"Feel like a fool, huh Zack?" Cloud whispered, dropping the reins to the chocobo. The two other chocobos skidded to a halt in the muck, the group silent.

Before Zack's eyes was what could only have been the Midgar Zolom, spiked on top of a broken tree, the wood spiking through its scaled skin to the top of its head. The entrance to the Mythril mines was covered in blood and gore and Zack heard someone behind him, probably Aeris, brutally coughing and hacking.

"Well, it looks like you were right... So, this is what the mighty Sephiroth can do with anything he doesn't like."

"Anything that gets in his way." Tifa slapped the reins to the chocobo she and Aeris shared, making the animal move closer to Zack. "He'll do anything, kill anything, and break anything to get what he wants."

"Fundamentally, a monster shrouded in black leather, without a soul or worry," Red stated stiffly. Zack looked to the back of Barret's chocobo, seeing Red sitting on a small sleigh attached to the chocobo's back.

He turned back, giving off a low whistle. "Yeah, don't thonk you could have said it better, Red. This is what he can do."

"And," Cloud murmured, almost too low for Zack to hear, "I will end him."

* * *

**Please Review!**

 


	16. Remember Five: Take Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Reno/Zack Fair Sex; Not exactly the most comfortable situation; mentions of blood

# Remember Five: Take Out

"Zack, I want take-out."

Zack sighed, looking up from the rim of his beer. The red-head lay lazily on the floor next to the couch Zack sat on, throwing a small ball up into the air. It made a faint whooshing sound as it followed the same pattern over and over again. Up—down—up—down. It was driving him insane.

"Pizza or Wutaian?"

Zack looked back down to his beer, sliding his thumbnail under the sticker plastered to the glass. "I don't care, Reno. You can pay for it this time—you killed me last night at poker. I'm still trying to find out where you hid my underwear." He looked up in time to see Reno put the ball on the table, scratching his nose with his empty hand. "I mean, you don't even wear my size."

"Sure, I'm lanky an' a fuckin' drunk, but you're tiny 'round the waist. I ain't sure why you're so surprised. Gotta say though, they are going on my wall once I figure out how to laminate the damn things. Put the words 'the hardest pair of underwear to get into' underneath it. How does that sound?"

"You haven't been in my underwear…" The SOLDIER trailed off at a moment. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. You were that desperate to say that you got into my underwear that you had to steal them from me? Well, that just makes you lame. We should get Wutaian; probably would taste better with this damn hangover."

Reno propped his head on his hands, looking at Zack with his green eyes. "Zack, why do ya hate me so much? Your words cut deep, my dearest drinking pal who I'll buy Wutaian food so we can get drunk all over again later. What kinda guy wouldn't treat his poor-ass best friend to some well-deserved food?"

The black-haired teenager laughed. "Since when am I your best friend? Or, better yet, which secretary found out you were fucking their sister? And how drunk are you planning on makin' me get with you just so you don't feel all alone?"

"Know me too well, my black-haired bitch. An' it was Jeanne. You know her? Palmer's new chicky? The one with those long legs and big knockers? Yeah, she was fun a couple a times, but now I think I like the chick she works with, and 'cause I've banged both o' them now I ain't sure what I'm supposed ta fucking do. Should I keep fuckin' them both or am I supposed to pick one, or pick none? Damn, I think this shit'd be easier if I wasn't so damn horny all the time." Reno picked up a pack of cigarettes, pulling out one, slipping it between his chapped lips. "Gotta light?"

Zack reached into his pocket, pulling out his matches. "Here. I think I quit, but I'm not sure why I still carry those damn things around with me everywhere."

"They're like part of you when you quit. And anyway, how the fuck do you 'think ya quit'? It doesn't work like that, toots. You either want a mother fuckin' puff or ya don't. It ain't rocket science." The redhead pulled one black match out, striking it against the back. "An' do you have a phone? I got one somewhere in this dump, but I don't wanna fucking look for the thing. Help a buddy out?"

Placing his beer bottle down, Zack stood, reaching for his jacket that was strung from the nearby hook. "Here." Gently he tossed the phone into the redhead's lap. "Don't spend all of my minutes or I'll kick your ass. I swear I lend my phone to the guy in platoon seventy-two and he used up not only all of my minutes, but didn't pay for the time he went over."

"Babe, I'm just calling the stupid restaurant down the block—don't worry 'bout me spending all your minutes. Anyway, 'bout spending, you stayin' over tonight?"

It only took a moment to answer. "Yeah, don't want you here alone or you'll end up hanging yourself with your damn indecisiveness. Give me that cigarette while you call; don't want them fucking up the pork with rice again like they did last time."

Reno rolled his eyes, pulling the cigarette from his lips and handing it over. Smoke rolled from his nose and lips, creating an effect like rippling water. It was the first time Zack noticed that Reno's eyes reminded him of green glass, that his lips looked like a dry desert ground, but still rather…kissable. Was this feeling right? What was going on? This was Reno: cool, confident, sexually explicit, lock your daughter's doors at night Reno. There was nothing gay about him, from his grimy bottom heel to the roots of his crimson wild hair.

"Zack, you okay? You spaced out again. I told the guy to get you a pork lo mien, does that sound good to you? If not you'll just have to suck it up and eat it anyway. What's with that half-dead look on your face? You ain't gunna starve—the guy said it'll only take about an hour to get the shit to us."

The violet-eyed teenager coughed, sitting down on the floor. "Reno, I've gotta ask you something I've been wondering."

Reno gave him a pensive look, leaning down and taking the still smoldering cigarette from Zack's hand. "Okay, wanna be more specific than that? I've done practically everything under the moon."

"Well, Reno, have you ever been with another guy?"

Reno's eyes widened comically, the cigarette dangling from his fingers. After a moment Reno gave a small laugh, his hand lightly shaking as he lifted the butt to his lips. "Is this about that kiss on New Years'? You're supposed to kiss whoever's around you at the time. Don't worry 'bout bein' turned gay. Your precious Aeris ain't giving you anything, but when she decides to, you aren't gunna have to worry about getting it up." He blew out smoke from his lips and Zack noticed his teeth chattering.

"That wasn't what I was talking about, Reno. I mean it: have you ever been with another guy?" Zack was becoming bolder as the moments ticked by, his voice growing.

"Naw… but, I'm willing to try." The redhead snuffed out the cigarette in a nearby ashtray, leaning down less than a few inches from Zack's face. His musky breath, smoky and hot, hit into the raven-haired teen's lips and Zack had to resist the urge to pull the older man's lips to his own. "That's what you were offering right? I think it'd be a learning experience, don't you?"

Before Zack was able to move, Reno crushed his lips against his own, Zack reaching forward and pulling the redhead closer, his hands filled with the fire, the passion. His lips were like the Corel Desert, and he felt the man's tongue dart out, attempting to push its way into his mouth. He obliged, moving his body so his back was against the floor, Reno climbing on top of him, pushing his tongue deeper into Zack's mouth.

Reno groaned, putting his hand on Zack's thigh. The redhead's knee slipped between his legs, and sighed.

Pulling himself away from Zack, Reno took in a deep breath. "Not too bad for a novice, righ'? Been wanting ta do that for weeks."

The SOLDIER didn't know what to say—since when had Reno held pent-up sexual fantasies about himself? Weeks? How could he have handled it? Zack had only felt it for a few moments, and was already willing to offer himself to the older man.

"Then, let's get back to it. Don't want to keep you waiting. But whose gunna bottom? Me or you?"

The redhead moaned, leaning down and nipping at Zack's throat. "You'll be bottoming. I'm bigger than you and older. That's how it goes." Quickly Reno leaned up, pulling the shirt over his head. "Anyway, that's what I've been told."

"Told?" Zack rushed, pulling his shirt over his flat stomach, the clothing being thrown carelessly into a random corner. "Who talks about this?"

Reno, now shirtless, unbuttoned his pants and jerked his legs out. He leaned forward, tracing his lips from Zack's collar bone. "Some people?" he whispered, the raven-haired teen feeling the hot, musky breath sliding down to the buckle on his jeans, only stopping for a moment to pull the object loose.

Zack felt his breath hitch in his throat as he felt Reno's warm tongue trace over his navel, down—down—down. The button on his pants snapped, the metal piece falling to the ground. "Oops," Reno purred, unzipping the zipper. "Been a while' y'know." Harsh fabric slid against Zack's erection, causing the raven-haired teen to gasp.

Quickly taking in a deep breath, Zack looked down, Reno's face adorned with a small smirk. "I don't know what the fuck I'm doin'," he explained as he pulled the rest of the cloth from the teen's legs. "I just don't wanna fuckin' wait anymore." He leaned forward, once again capturing Zack's lips in a mind-erasing kiss.

Hot tongues explored one another's mouths, Reno letting one hand explore down to the elastic of his soon-to-be lover's underwear, caressing the few curls that poked from beneath the waist-band. Slowly it inched lower and lower, finally the redhead grabbing hold, gently, to Zack's cock.

A moan escaped from Zack's lips, his body bucking lightly into the touch. Stopping the kiss, Zack stared into the green eyes filled with fire. "Quit fucking teasing me," he panted, reaching forward and pulling at Reno's boxers. "I'm not into games."

"Neither am I. You take this step, babe, and I ain't gunna stop." The Turk looked serious.

"Who the fuck wanted to stop?"

A smirk spread across Reno's face as he licked his lips. Before Zack knew what the redhead was doing, his underwear were ripped from his body and tossed to the side. "You got it then." Another second passed by, Reno sliding his own off his thin hips, kicking them from his ankle. "This is gunna hurt like hell, you know."

"Just put it in and shut up."

Reno mumbled about something and then there was a slick sound. Reno spit into his hand before reaching down to play with himself, coating with a thin layer if saliva. Zack shut his eyes as he felt something at his entrance, prodding the hole. It felt odd, and then a sharp, painful feeling struck, and the teen had to grit his teeth together from screaming or crying out in pain. He too in several deep breaths, squeezing his eyes shut as Reno entered further and further into his body. Inch by inch, Reno moved slowly, something that had surprised Zack—who would have thought that the sex machine would be careful?

Pushing the last few inches in, Zack had to let out a painful grunt. He opened his eyes, noticing the look of concentration across Reno's face. His eyes were open, staring at the teenager below him. There was something in his eyes that made Zack shiver.

"That hurt, didn't it? Didn't mean to. Guess I jus' broke your cherry, right?"

The SOLDIER had to stop himself from laughing; his entire body from the waist down felt one fire. "Yeah, it hurts. Just give me a sec." Taking in a few deep breaths, Zack closed his eyes and gave a sharp nod of the head. "A little more lubrication?" He asked, and reno once again spit into his hand, withdrawing himself a little to help once again coat his erection. After sliding back in, Reno wiping his hand on the nearby pants, Reno placed both hands on Zack's hips, pulling out and then thrusting gently back in. There was something rhythmic about the redhead's movements that made Zack follow; he moved both legs wider before hesitantly placing them around Reno, using this as leverage to move himself back and forward. Their stomach's rubbed together, Zack's dick between them, a jolt shooting through his groin and he bucked his hips up.

A low groan left Reno's mouth and he leaned forward, capturing the younger man's lips in a deep kiss. Zack wrapped his arms around Reno's shoulders, running his fingers through his hair and tilting his head to the side for easier access. His back rubbed against the ground, leaving rugburn on his back and his neck.

Something with the sudden movement caused Zack to let out a loud moan, his eyes visualizing stars. It felt like his entire body was on fire, and he pulled on Reno's hair, causing the redhead to bend forward, giving Zack the ability to roll the two. Zack hit his head on the table as he jerked his body up, pulling both legs from around him, placing them on both sides of the Turk. Reno's green eyes were puzzled, then laughing.

Zack pushed his body back down, hitting the spot that sent stars flying before his eyes. Reno gripped tighter on his hips, jutting the slightly smaller body back and forth, nails digging into the soft flesh.

Zack saw the urgency in Reno's eyes, the loud grunts coming from his chapped lips, his hands clinging harder and thrusts moving faster. Zack could feel something inside of his stomach sing and he made his hips move faster, reaching down with one hand to touch his own erection. Quickly, as Reno's eyes shot wide and his body filling with his release, Zack felt his own member give a twitch, warm liquid coating Reno's stomach. He rode out the last few thrusts before falling forward, his black hair sweaty.

They stayed in that position for a moment, Zack burying his nose into the other's hair. He felt Reno move his hands from his bruising hips to his shoulders, pulling Zack's face to his own. Zack's back was on fire, as well as his ass.

"That was one of the weirdest fucks I've ever had," Zack stated breathlessly as he pulled his lips away. "And one of the more painful."

Reno gave a quick chuckle. "You weren't that bad," he stated this with a straight face, after a moment his lips quirking into a large, pleased smile. "Not as good as you can be, but we'll get there."

Black eyebrows quirked up, and Zack shifted his hips, the softening member still inside. "I'm going to take it out now," Zack warned as he pulled his body forward, feeling it pull out, a release of fluids coming with it.

"Fuck, you bled all over me!" Reno whined as he looked down. Zack followed his example, seeing blood and white liquid seeping onto the redhead's thighs, into the carpet.

"Well, you were the one who stuck it in. Deal with the consequences." The SOLDIER laid himself next to Reno, slinging his arm across the other's chest, his other hand touching the tattoos on his face. "And I liked the scars better. They fitted you more than these red things." He could feel the thin scars in the center of the red ink.

The redhead scoffed, reaching over, blindly pulling for some type of clothing. It was Zack's torn boxers, which he then used to clean himself one-handedly. "Glad ta know ya like my cut up face—" he was cut off by a chiming. "Fuckin' time you came!" Reno yelled to the door. "Just open the door and leave it on the floor. There's twenty gil under the keys."

Zack widened his eyes. "You mother fucker!" He yelled, nearly pulling himself away, the only thing stopping him was the sudden flare in his backside, which caused him to fall back. "You had this entire thing planned out!"

Reno only smirked. "Nine weeks of waiting is too damn long. You thought I'd wait? Fuckin' A, you gotta be shitting me. You're lucky I didn't take you last night with you lying in my bed. You think I can't handle my liquor?"

The Wutaian men stuck one hand forward, placing the bag on the floor, then pulling out the twenty gil note. "Didn't do nothing wrong this time!" he yelled, and Zack noticed the delivery man's eyes snapped closed. There was water slipping down his cheeks. "Waited ten minutes in the rain to let you finish!"

"Thanks buddy!" Reno snickered, sticking out his tongue at Zack.

The door was closed and Zack let out a deep breath. "You are an evil conniving bastard."

"But," the redhead leaned forward, pressing his lips to Zack's, running his tongue over the raven-haired man's unmoving lips, "you know you wouldn't be able to stomach me any other way."


	17. Chapter Eleven: Shimmering Entities

# Chapter Eleven: Shimmering Entities

The ground looked like glass. Zack could see his own eyes twinkling in the rainbow-colored Mythril. "Never thought I'd see something like this." He looked up to Aeris, who was leaning down to touch the glassy cave floor.

"It's so beautiful." She ran her fingers over the surface, leaving thin streaks from her fingers on the ground. "I don't want to walk on it—I feel like I would be tarnishing something." Aeris looked up to Zack, her green eyes shining. The color looked like the patch she was running the pads of her fingers over. "I never thought I'd see something so pretty."

Zack put his thumbs through the loops of his pants, gazing out at the walls. There were milky-white splotches in the walls a few meters away, Tifa standing next to them, running her fingers over it.  _What's with people touching it? Don't they know that this stuff is mined out of the ground in this place by the ton? They aren't touching uncharted waters._  "I was in the bar, watching Cloud get drunk off his ass," he sent a glare over to Cloud, who didn't even blush in shame, "and I heard a couple of guys—no, not the ones who were into you—"

"What are you spouting on about?"

"Well, the bartender was talking to them and I heard the people of Kalm used to work in here, selling the Mythril, but too many monsters were attacking them and killing the workers. Guess we better worry about something attempting to eat us tonight."

"Shi'. I ain't gunna be 'nother one of those nights, is it? Who's gunna be doin' tonight's watch?" Barret's foot tapped on the floor, gun arm dangling.

"It is supposed to be the women tonight, right Zack?" Red asked, scratching his paw against the floor, his sharpened nails clawing further into the Mythril.

Zack rubbed his head. "Er, I'm not sure. I think so."

Aeris stood up, placing her hands on her waist. "Yes, Zack. It's our turn to watch over. I still don't understand why we have to be together while doing it. Tifa and I are as strong as you men."

"I  _know_  that Aeris, but we figured that you would want company. Guys can spend hours doing nothing alone, but girls need something to do. Having another girl with you'll be able to kill the time." He smiled.

Cloud snorted. "That's complete and utter bullshit."

"Oh what, you want to say something about what I say, Cloud?" Zack questioned mock-angrily, making a face that caused Tifa and Aeris to laugh. "I don't know why it works out that way. If you want to do it alone, be my guest."

"Maybe we can come to some type of conclusion, but I think we should get moving. It's getting cold over here and we can hope that we can find ground that isn't so hard that we can get the poles for our tents up. Maybe some heat, too." Tifa rubbed her hands against her black skirt, a white residue smearing across the material. "Huh. That's weird."

Red stopped scratching his paws against the floor. "Zack... I require your assistance."

Zack stepped toward the beast, leaning down. "Sure, what is it, Red?" He nearly jumped back when the red-furred experiment swiped his paws against Zack's pants, deep white marks left in its wake. "Oh, great. What is it?"

"Looks like you shouldn't have touched it," Cloud snickered. "Probably isn't dangerous... I think we should get going."

"I think Cloud's right; we should get going. It is getting dark, and it's going to get really cold soon." Aeris clapped her hands together, then fumbled lightly with the pack on her back, adjusting the straps.

"Just watch—we're all going to end up with feelers growing out of our heads from touching that," Zack promised, and the others laughed.

* * *

"I say we claim this as our territory for the night," Zack exclaimed as he threw the bag down onto the floor onto the first soil-based ground he had seen since entering the Mythril Mines. He looked over his shoulder to see the others trailing behind, Barret carrying Red's headdress. "How'd you get that?"

"Last blob that tried ta eat 'im got his ear. Wanted ta give it air," Barret answered, kneeling down and placing the headdress on the floor next to Zack's pack. "Didn't want him ta break it, y'know."

Tifa walked forward, yawning. Aeris was next to her and they both shot looks at Zack.  _Oh, what did I do now?_  Zack wondered as they dropped their belongings, their eyes not drawing away from Zack.

"If you are wondering why the women are staring at you, I think they figured out a solution to the time problem." Red sat down on the ground, pushing his paws into the dirt. "This feels... nice."

Zack looked away from Red and over to the women. "Oh, you did now?"

Aeris smiled kindly at him, while Tifa drew her eyes away and was now looking at Cloud, who was oblivious. "And let me just guess that Tifa wants to be spending her nights snuggling up to Mister Chocobo-head while me and you are roasting marshmallows over a fire."

The brunette nodded. "Oh yes, Mister SOLDIER," she nearly had to cover her face in shame, Zack noticed, "will be spending his time with me. Is that all right with you? I mean, after all, it is going to be your 'manly time of doing nothing.'" Her voice had become something of a giggle.

Zack covered his heart. "Anything for my princess, princess." He took a deep bow, his hair flopping loosely. "And what I do isn't all that weird, and you're supposed to talk about everything with the people you're going to be trying to court. That's what I'm supposed to be doing, you know."

"Of course I know you're trying to 'woo' me Zack." Aeris laughed, waving her hand in front of her face. "And you know that you don't need to. Just calm down and act like yourself."

"So you're expecting everything from me? You know all of my slick moves and words, hmm?"

"You're about as predictable as that rock. In a few hours, I promise it'll still be exactly where it is," Cloud interjected, looking over at a rock, pointing his finger to it. "Just watch."

The black-haired man shrugged. "We'll see about that, Cloud. Now, why don't you all go open up your prepackaged cans of food then hit the sack. Aeris and I can take care of things tonight."

* * *

Aeris and Zack lay huddled in a sleeping bag, the woman reading a paperback novel with a materia strung around her neck lighting only the page in front of her. Zack looked over to see a look of concentration on her face, one finger between the pages she was reading and the next two pages. This was what Zack needed to take care of him when he was getting older; he needed a woman who wasn't afraid to be herself. He needed someone like Aeris. He needed Aeris. She was his rock, and he was the gravity pushing on her.

But it was too quiet.

"Aer, do you think you could talk to me?"

She smiled, putting the book down on her chest. "Of course. What do you want to talk about? Maybe I could tell you about the Ancients. I remember you wanted to talk to me about it a while ago, and since you learned some stuff while we were in the Shinra building... How about about that?"

Zack nodded. "Sure, let's talk about that. It'll be kinda nice, I guess."

"So, why don't we start from the beginning?" She hummed.

"It is said that the Planet was created by the goddess Minerva. She had cast herself away from another universe, another planet more specifically, after disease, famine and war destroyed and ravaged the planet that she and other gods and goddesses called home. The goddess of war there, she promised that she would cultivate and grow another Planet where she was the only the bringer of destruction but of creation, too. Bringing her nine daughters with her to create the newest planet, Gaia, she managed to create the human race in a place where no organisms had ever survived before. Moss grew and cells replicated, and after billions of years the Planet came into true fruitation, giving birth to the Cetra people.

"They say she bestowed some of her powers to the people, allowing them to know of the other worlds so they could create their own beautiful world and learn from the mistakes of this other planet. The first hundred generations grew and flourished like the new blooms of spring. Deeply religious, the Cetra traveled from place to place learning of the planet and its surroundings, moving from islands to mainlands. The people, when crossing other tribes, did not fight but exchanged words of peace and belief.

"A few people separated from the group to create non-nomadic homes. They wished to create towns, to settle down and allow the crops to grow and the herds to multiply. These are the ancestors of the humans, like you and half of me. The Cetra accepted these people as an act of Minerva, and continued their religious journey.

"Sometime, about two thousand years ago, the daughter of Minerva begged her mother to allow her to go to the Planet, to be one with the people and to learn from them. Her name was Jenova, a beautiful and intelligent goddess, who had been looking down upon the people of the Planet for years and wished to feel their feelings, to see the things they saw with their own eyes.

"Minerva allowed Jenova to leave, to go down to Gaia. She was sent in the form of an eternally beautiful Cetra woman in a cocoon. The tales of the Cetra state that she had fallen from the sky, colliding into the most fertile part of the Planet, causing eruptions of the Planet's Mako to spew forth from the ground. This revitalized her. When they found out of the woman who had come from the sky and claimed herself to be the daughter of Minerva, she was accepted into the Cetra with open arms.

"My mother never really explained, but something happened, something terrible. Jenova was no longer the goddess she had once been, but used the people to perform her plans, corrupting the souls of the Cetra. She had gone crazy with control.

"The goddess Minerva watched with sadness as her child was corrupted by evil and, to save the people, she and her eight remaining daughters traveled to Gaia and encased Jenova in the lifeblood of the plane. The Mako had become something frozen, capturing and freezing her.

"To control the corruption her daughter had created, Minerva released the hell of the planet she once loved. Famine and disease and war corrupted the Cetra, many being killed off, only a few who could not remember left to survive. These children were taken in by the towns grudgingly and when they matured to an age to survive on their own, they were cast out to find others of their own kind.

"This did not please Minerva, for her name was beginning to become a fiction in the world she had created, but she believed it was necessary for the others of the Planet to grow and prosper. So, in her attempts to leave some lasting effect on the world, with her own hands she created a work of literature that would not, could not, be forgotten. She had, no one knows how, freed the work of art in a place named the ' _Promised Land_ '.

"Loveless, they called it, and once one heard of this work of art, no one could forget it. The reason was simple and deliberate—Minerva had written a story that was never finished, never completed. This caused wide-spread confusion through the humans. Many lived and died in search of the ending Act, which no one had ever found. The Cetra, when hearing of this mysterious work of art, believed it to be the working of Minerva. So did the Wutaians, which confused many.

"Some time, not known by years, the Wutaians learned of the Goddess Minerva. I can't say how, but they were able to learn while they were isolated. I have my own theories that perhaps they were a group of nomads who were somehow able to survive the destruction and disease, but the point was that the Wutaians somehow were able to come up with this strange contraption that they believed would be able to connect themselves with the goddess. They plunged themselves deep into the ground, essentially being killed with mako, and then would somehow be able to implant the final memories of the person into tiny spheres of solidified mako. But, most of the time these mako balls were of things like fire and ice, but occasionally they said the person had been able to connect with the goddess, creating what many think summons materia is."

Aeris bit her lip, taking in a deep breath. "That's all I can remember. I've found out much more about the Cetra since leaving Midgar, but it's getting louder and less comprehensible as we get further from people. I sometimes think it would be easier to go back to the church in the slums—I could never here them there." She yawned and laid her book on the ground, curling her body closer to Zack. "I think I'm going to sleep for a little while. Can I? My head feels kind of fuzzy."

Zack nodded his head, giving the woman a small kiss on the cheek. "Go ahead and sleep, hun. You talked a lot. I'll finish watching until the others wake."

* * *

_I hate that rock._

**Then go break it.**

_I don't want to be predictable._

**Then don't be predictable. Changing isn't that hard.**

_I feel like breaking that rock._

**Then do it.**

And that was what he did. Standing up, making sure not to shake Aeris from her sleep, Zack stalked forward to the rock Cloud had pointed to. Without even thinking, Zack drove his fist into the Mythril. He heard the bone in his hand break and the man saw the blood pour down from the broken rock. Strangely satisfied with the blood on the ground, Zack leaned down and pocketed the broken rock in his pajama pants. Faintly, the ex-SOLDIER noticed the white gunk on his hands, some getting into his wounds, but he wiped it on his pants and padded back to the camp, sliding himself into the blankets with Aeris, his eyes already closing.

 

* * *

Zack felt his eyes open groggily, the light stinging horribly. He blinked once, then twice, and tried to lift his hand to scratch the gunk from the corners of his eyes, but noticed that his hands were not moving. In fact, Zack noticed with a twinge of fear, nothing in his body was moving. His hands were frozen in place, his muscles stitched together. There was nothing from his eyes to his toes.

"It's funny seeing you tied up."

Trying to open his eyes again, the violet-eyed man noticed how his eyes drooped downward and every labored breath took more and more strength as the moments passed. Drugs. Zack noticed the signs as he fought through them. He barely picked up his head, the blurry shapes before his eyes fading in and out of view. Zack hated sleeping agents; they didn't go well with the mako in his system, something about Hojo playing God and wanting at least one viable way of knocking any SOLDIER out with something smaller than his pinky finger.

"Zack Fair—I had expected more from you. You didn't notice the signs?"

The world turned again and Zack felt his stomach knot into a ball. That voice, that condescending voice...

"Tseng—" Zack slurred, using all of the strength in his body to open his eyes and focus them. A few bodies moved in front of him; shock of blonde hair, nothing like Cloud's, moved away with a gasp. "Tseng?" he repeated, twisting his head to the side. Something poked his jugular and the cold metal of a needle slid into his skin, a feeling of fire screaming in his veins.

"That should help you lose the drowsiness, Fair." Opening his eyes, Zack saw Tseng's Wutaian features: large, coal black eyes; thick black hair tied at the nape of his neck; the small black dot in the center of his forehead; a look of impassiveness across his face. "Are you able to see me?"

"Yes," Zack grumbled, shaking his head to clear some of the drowsiness. "You seem to get uglier by the day," he added sarcastically, feeling the pressure and coldness of the steel around his wrists. "Shackles?"

Tseng nodded his head harshly, standing straight and putting both hands behind his back. "If I hadn't known you for so long, maybe I'd be insulted, but, because I do know you, I find it easier to ignore you." Moving out of the way, Tseng motioned to the others tied to various rocks. "They had less powder in their systems than you, which leads us to believe—"

Reno, who was kneeling next to Cloud, finished Tseng's words. "You either licked the fuckin' rock or punched it. You've got a bunch of cuts on your hands. Might wanna take care of that sooner or later, babe."

Zack felt the wounds on his hands, remembering his fist colliding into the rock last night, his promise…

"Oh, fun." Zack felt something on his head and he wished, more than anything, that he could give it a nice good scratch. He squinted his eyes, seeing the others waking groggily from their sleep. "Did ya hurt 'em?"

"Nah. Just had Elena slip into their tents and force feed the shit to them." Reno jerked his head to a woman who looked vaguely familiar. "Jus' joined a few days ago."

Elena gave a shaky smile to her co-workers, handing over a small bottle of pills to Tseng. "Thank you, sir!" she exclaimed, Zack noticing how her breath hitched when her commanding officer reached forward and took the pills. "I'm proud to be of any service!"

The woman's smile suddenly clicked in Zack head and he made a yelp. "Hey, you were the chick in the bathroom in the Sector Six slums. You were upchucking your brains out—you had me go get you medicine. Gave me that perfume. Remember me? Should've expected you were a fucking Turk—Tseng the boss you were fucking for gifts?"

The blonde's cheeks flamed. "I—I… You don't talk to Mister Tseng that way!" Her voice was mortified and squeaky.

"Look, lady, I've known Tseng for longer than you've known how to shoot a gun. I can tell you exactly what the fucker wants in his coffee, what time he eats dinner every night and the past two people he's slept with since he was fifteen. And, I can add, it wasn't with you; so shut your yap. You're wakin' up my buddies and I don't think they'll be very happy." Zack twisted his cuffs around his wrists as the Turk was distracted by Barret's sleepy grumble.

Rude walked forward from his place a few meters away, leaned his head down and whispering something into Reno's ear. The bald man looked blankly up to Zack and then to Tifa. His lips grew thin and the redhead snickered loudly.

"You think we did this on purpose, don't ya?" Reno leaned casually against the wall of the glowing Mythril. "Shinra doesn't exactly wanna see you righ' now, sure, but they wouldn't send four Turks to go searching for your asses." Putting his hand on his pocket, Reno pulled out a crimpled sheet of paper, coughing into his hand mockingly for a moment and pretended to adjust a pair of reading glasses. "Turks new mission is to go exterminate Sephiroth because yada, yada, yada. The fuckin' guy's nuts: killed that Prez an' then some how destroyed the dick's funeral. The new Prez wants Sephiroth captured, dead or alive, which basically mean we can torture the fuck out of him... yeah, like we are gunna find  _Sephiroth._  The rest says we gotta get him no matter what, blahdy, blah, blah. Nuthin' in here says we were supposed to be trying to find your wild asses." He crumpled the paper into the shape of a ball and threw it casually to the floor.

"Elena, distribute the drug once again to the others. Keep Fair awake," Tseng barked out the order harshly, causing the woman to jump up, eyes wide. "We wouldn't want one of them bothering our pleasantries, would we?" Tseng's coal eyes were smoldering and Zack had to glance away.

The black-haired man attempted to shrug his shoulders. "'Course you wouldn't." Zack leaned against the wall, resting his head on the greenish-blue Mythril. "So, you didn't want to find us? Then why'd ya drug us?"

"Accident," Rude stated, the first word Zack had heard from the man during the entire exchange.

Reno snorted in agreement. "We had ta spray the place down so when we came in nothing would eat us or sumthin'. It actually worked; most of the things that would've eaten us got drugged to all hell and back. Not eatin', as you can see, but we did find you drugged out of yur fuckin' mind." He picked at his nails then lifted them to his mouth to bite at the cuticle on his thumb.

Zack clinked his two wrists together, rubbing the steel against the rock behind him. If it were possible, the violet-eyed man would rub off his hands just to get loose. The smirking looks from Reno and Tseng, the blank looks from Rude and the embarrassed looks from the new girl, Elena, Reno had called her, were getting on his nerves. Surely scrapping his arms together was better than looking at the Turks for much longer.

"That's nice. Now, where is that traitorous bitch? I figured she'd be hiding somewhere around here with her tail between her legs. Tseng, old buddy, really? AVALANCHE?" There was a small jutting rock that the ex-SOLDIER pushed against the cuffs, causing the light sound of metallic grinding.

Tseng rolled up the cuff of his shirt smoothly, his fingers working deftly on the thin white material. "How tactless, Fair. She is doing well, if you must know. Jessie was actually promoted to fifth in command, just after Raiden and Larc. She obeyed orders well." Tseng stepped forward, his shoes all but glowing in the Mythril light. "Hadn't that been your plan to grow in the ranks of Shinra?"

It had been, and Zack knew it. He had screwed people out of their spots at the Academy, screwed them out of classes and rooms, screwed people out of their dignity, even screwing Aeris out of a normal, healthy relationship. Zack Fair wasn't at home with himself until he screwed over as many people as humanly possible.

"Chosen wasn't very good with following orders, was she? Is that why you let them kill her?" Tseng's eyes narrowed. "Whatever, Tseng. So, where is she? I expected that if I saw the rest of you I'd see her." Clink. One of the metal cuffs was beginning to come loose.

"Playing political sabatoge and protecting Rufus. It would have been either Reno or myself, but because of certain circumstances it was decided that it would be easier for her to stay and for us to leave... Also, readying for the inauguration."

Reno leaned over to Elena. "Ya know that's why chicky here was hired. They had some big problem over at Midgar—Prez's dead body got stolen or somethin' and they suspected Sephiroth was behind it. Ah, I don't know. Whatever. No skin offa my nose." He swung his lanky arm over her shoulder, causing her face to heat up.

Zack looked to the woman. "Keep your pants up, lady. Anyway, I don't think Reno's into girls like you. Guess you can say you're lucky."

"He's my boss!" she squeaked, pulling herself away from the redhead. He stumbled momentarily before catching himself, looking wounded. Zack saw his hand go to his face, subconsciously touching the small red marks under his eyes.

"Yeah, people have a thing 'bout screwing their bosses. Looks like you don't want Reno. Can't blame ya 'bout that one. He's a pain in the ass." He waited for a minute, expecting a few words from Reno, but they never came. Rather, the black-haired man noticed Reno look around for a moment, scratch his nose and reach into his pocket to pull out a half-empty pack of cigarettes.

Clink. The other side came lose and Zack freed both of his wrists slowly to keep the Turks from seeing. The metal slid off, hitting the ground a little too loudly. Before he had the possibility to try to cover up the sound, Elena had already pulled out her gun and turned it upside down, bringing the metal swinging down against Zack's skull. There was a flash of white-hot fire against Zack's eyelids and he grunted painfully. It felt as though his skull had split apart, the brains inside rattling like they were being bounced around in a cage. A deep ringing echoed in his ears and he couldn't even wonder what it was from the intensive amount of pain.

"Shit! What the fuck do you think you're doing!" Zack heard Reno yell harshly, but his mind was not able to completely understand. He could here brain cells screaming in protest as they were being brutally slaughtered from the metal butt of the woman's gun. Who knew she could hit so damn hard?

"You can't go 'round fuckin' hitting people," Reno ranted, the sound of the gun being tossed across the floor, away from the blonde and probably headed toward the silent Turk. "You could've killed him, and that ain't what we need ta be doin'. Tseng."

Zack looked back up, his eyes once again bleary. Tseng sent a wave of green to wash over Zack's skull and the throbbing pain began to disappear as quickly as it had been summoned. "Harter, I suggest that you watch where you aim the gun in the near future, especially when it involves anyone in AVALANCHE. I know that our boss is going over a new plan, and thus those orders I was briefed about in Midgar will be followed. You know what I am talking about, right?"

Zack's head swam with confusion. What were they going on about? Why wasn't he supposed to get hurt? Nothing made sense; it was all just flopping over the side, like water sloshed in a pan.

"Sorry sir," Elena answered, her voice restraining any emotion, though Zack could hear a small hitch in her words. "I won't do it again, sir!"

Zack felt his arms, which weighed the entirety of his body, and tried to lift them. Tseng saw this and once again, pulling out the small bottle, administering a pill into his mouth, shutting it and forcing the pill to go down without liquid. "You aren't the enemy right now, Fair. It would be best for you to stay here for a little while as we depart. We will untie your comrades, as it seems you have already completed your own rescue. Sinclair—"

Zack's eyesight was blurring, his head already leaning down, too much for his body to hold up. The redhead smirked, looking over to Elena, who nodded. "Let's get the rest of them untied. Then what are we goin' ta be doin'?"

The woman straightened her back. "We will be going to Junon to help celebrate the inauguration of our newest President, Rufus Shinra. Then we'll cross the ocean to the Western Continent via ship to Costa del Sol. There we will be looking for information on file 201745... Right?" She looked to Tseng, her brown eyes pleading.

Tseng rubbed his fingers against his skull. "Brilliant, Harter. Now Fair knows of the plans. Don't smirk, Reno." the Wutaian man looked over to the redhead, who was now tightlipped, attempting to prevent a laugh from escaping.

Zack couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and they shut and Zack fell into the cool bliss of sleep. He could feel two cold hands pick him up before he fell into the beauty of unconsciousness.

* * *

"So they're heading over to Junon, then across the ocean to the other side," Tifa repeated, putting her hand over her mouth and yawning. "But I don't think we should leave yet. Too tired."

Red lay on the blankets in the male's tent, falling asleep on the ground. Zack noticed how tired the group was, and nodded his head. "I'm tired too. Got double-dosed with that medication. They sprayed it all over the rocks."

Cloud, who was lying next to Zack and huddled in blankets, nodded his head. "Told you," he whispered, cuddling his blond head deeper into the pillow.

Barret had yet to wake up. He was wrapped crudely in what could have been passed off as a tarp, probably triply drugged compare to the rest. Zack knew that the Wutaian must have given him more than the rest because of his size.

"We should just get some sleep and worry 'bout this later. That lugger isn't waking up for a while and I can't even stand. Let's just stay in here. I don' wanna move."

Aeris yawned, pushing her hair out of her face. "Yeah," she whispered.

"Good, 'cause I wasn't planning on moving. I would get stuck having to pull around Barret and I don't want to fall over and die."

* * *

It didn't take long for the group to leave the Mythril Mines after they woke from their sleep, Barret roaring about the Shinra while the rest of the group attempted to ignore him. There was something free in the air that made Zack feel like being drugged by the Turks not so horrible. He felt refreshed and the sun was shining… and, as he looked out to see the terrain the group would have to cover, noticed nothing but trees.

"Why do you hate me?" He raised his arms in the air, looking into the blue, cloudless sky. What was he supposed to do other than walk through the never-ending trees? There wasn't much choice.

"It isn't so bad," Aeris stated, placing her hand on Zack's arm, smiling up at him.

Lowering his arms, Zack groaned theatrically. "No—I'm going to die!"

This caused Aeris to laugh, patting him a few times consolingly. "Why do you hate it so much? It's so pretty and, oh... I don't know... natural?"

Zack opened his mouth, but had the words stolen right out of his mouth. "Because," Red stated, digging his paws into the dirt, "it's full of monsters. There is also the problem of insects and hives of swarming bees, not to mention the man-eating traps set on the ground or the terrain, which can kill you if you step in the wrong place at the wrong time. I, for one, am not looking forward to this either. I... I've dreamed of this place."

"What them dreams 'bout? They 'bout us getting' killed?"

Red jerked his head. "No. A harlot came to steal our things. She was rather... unpleasant. It was in this forest—"

Cloud, who had been lurking in the back with the women, spoke up, "You sure it was this forest? There are thousands exactly alike to this one—I've seen with my own eyes. Don't worry, Red. It was just a dream."

For a moment Zack looked to the red-furred beast and then out into the open area. "Well, we'll stay a bit more on guard. If the Turks were able to side-sweep us then I don't have many doubts that this  _harlot_  might wanna jack us of all we've got. It isn't much, but it's enough." Scratching his nose, the ex-SOLDIER felt a set of eyes watching him, staring. Turning, Zack saw Cloud, who was staring at his back. Huh... he didn't really seem happy...

Choosing to ignore the blond, Zack gave a short smile to Barret who continued to mumble (just a little louder than his normal voice) about his lack of options.

"Look, Bossman, it could be worse. I mean, you could have some freakishly weird disease that makes nipples grow out of your head…or something. Are my leadership skills that sucky that you don't even want to be trying to save the planet?" The smile had dropped from his face.

"Ain't sayin' tha', ain't sayin' tha'." Barret held up his gunarm and hand in defeat. "I wanna save the planet—I'm AVALANCHE, ain't I? Nuthin', let 'lone your spiky-assed leadin' is gunna make me leave. Crisis for the Plane', 'member?"

* * *

The trees grew thick with lush, green leaves and dark branches, small fruit littering below every other tree, nuts and moss scattering the ground the six trudged through. Their feet disturbed paths that couldn't have been treaded in years, away from the normal path.

The reason had been simple enough—get away from the main road and you get away from any other person who would want to hurt them. The Turks walked through the Mythril Mines for reasons unknown and Zack wasn't exactly hyped up to go against them again, especially when he knew their stock of poisons far surpassed any of their basic knowledge of anti-poisons. Aeris knew quite a bit about the Planet, but if Zack was dying he didn't want to deal with wishy-washy voices talking at rapid speeds in his girl's head.

"You think anyone is really following us?" Tifa questioned.

Zack avoided stepping on a large, broken branch. "Well, I've got super-sonic hearing and all I can hear is Red panting like a dog. Wait—you still haven't explained what you are. Are you a cat or a dog?"

The red-furred beast's answer did nothing to answer his question. "I am neither—what are you, human or monster?"

"Oh, nice hit. I'm a man; may be kinda hard for you to think of, considering the fact that you walk on four legs and a tail," he retorted back quickly.

Red snorted. "Oh yes, the frivolities of two feet." It wasn't an answer.

"Don't be dissin' what you haven't tried. Well, you can't try, but that's beside the point. Barret, can you tell our lovely four-legged friend what it's like to walk on two feet?" Zack's fingers fumbled against his shirt, rolling the material between his thumb and pointer finger. For some reason he had been having the same strange feeling in his stomach, fingers itching uncontrollably.

Barret coughed once, then twice for good measure. "It's…it's good. Don't gotta worry 'bout someone wantin' you ta be on a leash, tryin' ta tie you up an' send ya to the pound, no people shovin' needles into ya 'cause they want your freaky DNA, an' ya can protect them wit' shoes. No getting splinters in 'tween your paws." The ex-SOLDIER didn't even have to turn around to know exactly what the AVALANCHE leader was doing—scratching his head, no doubt. "Guess they're goo' reasons, right?"

Speeding up so he couldn't hear the answer, Zack's combat boots clinked monotonously against the first sparse land he had seen for hours. In the little clearing no trees stood blocking the waning sun and there was nothing but eternal purples and blues intermingling with the sky. A small fire had been crushed out recently; there were still faint traces of the smell of burning firewood, the tracks in the dirt still perfect indicators to the man. A few hours ago, tops, someone had been sitting there, roasting something over a fire, pulling out their tents and sleeping bags.

"Someone was here." Zack snapped his eyes away from the ring of rocks around what was once a fire to Cloud. "Not too long ago at that. Red, can you smell anything?"

The rest of the group came to a halt, Red walking forward, sniffing the ground experimentally. His black nostrils flared, the dirt below puffing up in a small cloud of brown. "Yes," Red answered, looking through his good eye straight to Zack, almost into Zack. "Female, not very old. She has an abundance of materia and sugar with her and there's a tang of something metal in one of the nearby trees—" he pointed his snout to a gnarled tree, various punctures in the bark, "—which was most likely caused by a weapon."

"Your deductive reasoning is amazing." Aeris made a small sound with her tongue. "But, how could you know that?"

Watching interestedly, Zack leaned against Cloud, who hissed at him but didn't move. "Yeah, kitty, why don't you tell us how you came to that conclusion? Sure would be interesting."

"First off, I am not a 'kitty'. I am whatever you wish, but I am no  _kitty_. Now, to answer your question, Aeris... To begin with, there's... well...  _blood_  in the air, and as it came from neither yourself nor Tifa, the only reasonable conclusion is that the last person in this area was female. I came to the young conclusion because of the various candy wrappers and sugary substances burned into the stick near the fire, which reeks of chocolate and marshmallows. And lastly, there is an uncommon spell lingering in the air, something which smells of water, and, as none of you own a water-based materia..."

And sure enough, there was a stick nearby, on the floor was some dirt-covered snacks, a few candy wrappers lying underneath a patch of rocks. There was also the feeling of water in the air, something Zack knew he wouldn't have noticed if not for Red. And, from the red trailing up Tifa's jaw and scandalized look on Aeris's face, he knew it was true of the… well.

Red brushed his tail against the ground softly, the movement causing a few fallen leaves to quiver and fly. "Now that's that... what should we do next? You think we should we continue on?" Red tittered at the fire pit. "I think maybe we should stop... just for a little while."

"Naw, I think we shou—" Zack immediately felt Cloud pull away in warning. "Alright, fine. We rest for now, only 'cause we've been walking for a good eight hours. I guess we've covered enough land. Red, you're on look-out tonight."

"I thought it was our turn?" Cloud and Tifa asked at the same time, Zack seeing Tifa give a small laugh and raise her hand to her hair in what could only be called embarrassment.

Cloud pushed Zack's head away with his hand, nodding to Tifa. "It was supposed to be our turn tonight, wasn't it?"

"I am fine with this new arrangement. I believe Zack is doing it not because he does not trust you two to protect camp, but for the fact that my nose is superior to your human noses, and thus I can smell intruders. Right, Zack?" Red glared with one golden eye out to the raven-haired man, who immediately nodded.

"Not that I don't tryst you guys. You can handle yourselves just fine. But Red is right. Especially if she's using sugar like MM."

Aeris looked at him strangely. "Zack, what is MM?"

"Uh, it's a drug in Midgar. Gives you an unhealthy boost of energy because it's pumping cheap mako into your veins. I'm shocked you didn't know that, Aeris. You lived in the slums for how long?" Zack tsked and waved his finger at the woman, whose eyes were still glazed with confusion.

"But tha' drug went outta style like ten years 'go," Barret answered Zack's unasked question. "Killed lotta people, but when Shinra came an' gave doses of the shi' out, it jus' wiped out almost all the druggies."

Zack looked to Barret, his eyes wide. "They—they killed them? Wow."

The older man switched his safety on and proceeded to walk forward. "You livin' in da pas', gotta get inta the future. We got bigga' problems than that righ' now—it's gettin' cold and dark an' my stumac' ain't gettin' full wit' food right 'bout now. Les' jus' settle down and get ready ta sleep."

"Sure," Zack said cautiously, "but what about Red? Is everyone in agreement to leave Red to the watching tonight? If not, I'd like to be warned about it now." He waited one, two, three seconds before the group nodded their heads. "Aw, I'm so happy we could all get along!" Zack walked forward and placed a large, wet kiss on Cloud's cheek, then moved forward to do the same to the girls. He stopped though at Red, who had begun to growl viciously, promising to rip off his family jewels should Zack attempt to lay anything but a hand on him.

"Aw, my reddie-beastie, no kissies? Fine." Zack reached his hand down to Red's ears scratching behind them. "You like that don't you, doggie?"

He was barely able to pull his hand away from Red before it was torn to a thousand pieces.

"I am not some common domesticated pet!"

* * *

Zack poured himself a bit of the boiling water, swirling it around in the bowl. Sticking his metal spoon into the noodles, he turned them quickly, watching the clumps flake into separate strings. "Good thing we bought a lot of these," Zack explained to Aeris, who sat next to him, taking cautious sips from a ceramic mug. The bow in her hair was loose, the ends of her hair uncut; Aeris didn't look as composed as she normally was. "You okay?"

Aeris blinked twice, Zack repeating his question. She looked so very tired, bags below her green eyes. "Oh, I'm fine. A little tired, but that is to be expected, right?"

The black-haired man nodded. "Yeah, I guess it is. Hey," he reached forward, pulling the pink ribbon tightly around her braid, "it was coming loose."

"Oh, thank you, Zack; I hadn't noticed." Her voice was softer than usual. She placed the mug on the ground next to her unclothed feet, her hand going to her ankle. There was something there, Zack noticed, a small scar the size of his thumb. She ran her fingers over it, almost as though she didn't notice Zack sitting next to her. The fire before them pulsed on.

"What's that?" he asked, Aeris's hand going automatically to cover it. It looked like some type of burn, like someone had pushed a cigarette to her leg; like a branding.

"Uh—it's nothing, Zack. Just a little burn from that fight we were in a while ago with that thing in Midgar." She gave a flicker of pleading.

Zack placed the bowl of steaming soup down and grasped the woman's hands lightly, pulling them from the scar. It was a cigarette burn, something Zack hadn't seen on her ankle before. "Who did this?" He ran the pad of his thumb over the wound, watching Aeris shut her eyes, not from any sort of pain, but from what Zack could only name as embarrassment.

"It was one of the Turks," Aeris answered, pulling her foot down and jerking her dress down to cover it. "Tseng had said that I had to stop moving around, but I tried to kick him. Reno, was holding the cigarette and when I moved my foot to kick him, my leg hit it. He didn't mean to; he even apologized, if you'd believe it." Aeris let out a derisive laugh. "I thought he would have done it on purpose, considering, well…" her voice dropped down to a whisper, "about you and all…"

"I…" Zack saw Aeris's eyes well with a few unshed tears and he couldn't finish speaking. They didn't fall, because Aeris wouldn't let them, but he was the cause of them and that made anger swell in Zack's stomach like the fires engulfing the wood before them. "I'm sorry, Aeris."

Zack wanted to hug the woman, but held himself back from it. She was sad and angry, her hand already gone back down to pick up her drink, her eyes staring unfocused at the fire.

"You didn't do it, Zack," she whispered, taking in another sip of the cooling tea.

* * *

Zack woke to screaming. His head shot up from his pillow, the blur in his eyes disappearing as he quickly scanned the tent. Both Barret and Cloud were groggily opening their own eyes, and, as the voice screamed louder, Zack knew that it wasn't the scream of either Tifa or Aeris.

"Whaz' goin' on?" Barret shook his head twice, looking around the tent, his eyes dazed. "Whoz' screamin'?"

Zack didn't answer, but rather jumped to his feet, already padding outside, nearly tearing the tent on his way out. What greeted his eyes next was something that dumbfounded Zack.

" _It's trying to eat meeeeeeee!_ " the teenage girl screamed as she writhed on the floor, Red standing on her chest, looking impassively to Zack, who was barely able to keep his laughter in. " _Helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllp meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!_ " she continued to scream, birds flying overhead as they were scared from the loud noises that came from her mouth. The women had woken and were peering out into the half-darkness, a green ball of materia clutched in Aeris's hand.

It was impressive; the set of lungs on her, Zack thought as he crossed his two arms in front of him, but it was getting annoying. He allowed her to get one more " _I don't wanna dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!_ " out before he nodded his head to Aeris. A sleep spell collided into the girl, knocking her half-unconscious. She let out a few more chosen words before her eyes slumped closed and she went limp under Red's paws.

"She tried throwing a shuriken at me." Red walked off of her chest, far too elegantly for any other beast, and sat down, lifting his paw to a tree where the four-point weapon was embedded into the wood. "That explains the smell of metal..."

Aeris walked forward and bended down before the body, feeling for a pulse. "She's fine; a little on the pale side, but that may just be from her little encounter with Red. Honestly," she looked over to Red, exasperated, "Red, standing on her? She can't possibly be older than sixteen."

Zack looked to Red, whose tail was flopping along, bathing the group in light. "Aeris, do you not see what is at her side?"

Zack walked a few steps forward, his eyes drawn to the small sack attached to the black-haired girl's wrist. He pulled the black bag loose, dozens of small, un-mastered materia falling into the dirt. "She's a Materia-Thief."

Red nodded his head humbly. "I had a dream of this little girl last night in the caves. She was robbing us blind of our materia and medicines. Should I have allowed her to do that?"

"No, you did fine, Red. It's just, now anything in a mile radius thinks we killed her," Cloud stated from behind Zack, who had to turn to see him. "I think we should tie her up and then wake her—"

But, as a wave of water washed out the fire and a long dragon peered from inside of the wave, its tongue hissing as the water smashed and crescendoed in a wave over his head, he knew that either the little twit was immune to magic or Aeris didn't have that great of an aim. And he knew that wasn't possible...

"See ya, suckers! Nyah!" the girl yelled as she ran off, Cloud already screaming about the materia she had swiped from his wrist.

"That little bitch took my summons materia." Zack watched as Cloud paced before the fire, his mako blue eyes burning intensely.

"And all she took was your summons materia?" That was Red, who was looking forlorn and annoyed.

"Yes."

_Better go find little-miss-twit._

* * *

 


	18. Chapter Twelve: Summons

# Chapter Twelve: Summons

Zack watched Cloud wring his hands before him, a small, angry sneer crossing the blond's face. He had seen hundred scary things ranging from shrunken heads hung in rest stops in small towns to seeing monster-humans bubbling in large vats of mako, but Cloud in itself was perhaps the worst of them all.

"Cloud, you aren't going to start manically laughing and tapping your fingers together, right?"

Cloud turned, looking straight into Zack's violet eyes. "No, Zack; you have a really strange sense of humor, you know. I'm just thinking of ways to find that girl. Red said he was going to try tracking her, right?" His hands went to hair. It was speckled with dirt, Zack noticed, something that seemed to becoming more and more common as the days passed into weeks. It was disgusting to sometimes forgo showers because of the surroundings, but he had gone more than three weeks without any type of washing in Wutai. It could have been worse.

"Oh, okay, just making sure." Quickly tapping his foot on the ground, Zack rubbed his fingers against his pants. He was a bit jittery; an uncommon habit he had thought he escaped after he quit smoking.

After a moment Zack shook himself back into his thoughts. "Red said he was gunna go try and find the kid. The summons you had wrapped 'round your wrist wasn't common in any way and it left a distinct smell in the air. I guess."

Cloud shook his head and Zack watched in surprise as he situated himself on the ground, running his fingers through the dirt. "He's gonna try to eat you one of these days. You just keep teasing him and teasing him. Did you ever think that maybe he's uncomfortable about what he is? You wouldn't ask me who my father is, right? I don't like talking about what happened to create me. Maybe it's something similar with Red."

Scratching behind his ear at an unruly piece of hair, Zack gave a small grunt. "You're right. I've been kinda a dick... should quit bugging him. He just looks like he's—"

"Going to enjoy eating your jugular, Zack. Think; I know there's a brain hidden behind all of that spiky hair and attitude you wear like some medal of honor." Cloud looked up to Zack, his mako blue eyes shining. "Now, are you going to help me come up with some sort of a way to get my summons materia back, or am I gonna have to go bother one of the ladies? They found a little creek and I think they're washing their hair."

"Well." Zack hunched back, putting two hands cockily behind his head. "Maybe we can go sneak up on them, see them without their clothes on... I know you've been dying to see Tifa without a shirt on…"

"Not particularly, Zack. They're comrades; I understand why you'd want to check out Aeris, because she's your girlfriend and all, but why would I want to look at Tif?"

Cloud shook his head, strands of blond hair getting in front of his eyes. He lifted one hand to move them behind his ear. "She's Tifa," he mumbled, "I used to like her, kind of like the way you like Aeris, but that was a long time ago."

"But I thought you didn't remember the past five years?"

"I don't." Cloud placed his fingers in the dirt, drawing a small picture like it was a canvas, his fingers the brush. "It's just, I was thinking a lot about things when I was in Midgar, about Tifa and relationships. I don't think I can have something like what you and Aeris. I'm... I'm a little too fucked up right now."

"Honestly, Cloud? I'm not doing much better..."

* * *

Red hadn't found anything to lead anyone to the materia thief, but a small, teensy little problem that was going to make the entire process of finding her more difficult.

"What do you mean we ran out of forest?" Tifa asked. "Is that even possible? I thought we had at least a few more miles..."

The beast scratched at the ground with his paw. "There is no further forest beyond this area. Now, I do not believe that necessarily means that we will not find her, but it may take a bit more of luck and talent than previously thought. Now, Cloud..." Red looked up to Cloud, who was standing next to Zack, his arms crossed. Zack noticed tension running through the blonde's jaw.

"Yes?"

"I need you to inform me of exactly what this materia was. I know you have said it was a summons, but you must surely have some other information on it? Summons materia is not easy to come by."

Zack thought for a moment, attempting to think of what exactly Cloud had done with the thing. Nothing came to mind; all he could remember about it was the boy finding attached to that chocobo and putting it on his wrist.

"Wait." Cloud raised his hand before him, looking at Red oddly. The ex-SOLDIER knew that look; it was a blank stare, one that Cloud seemed to be perfecting as of late. "That girl, the one who took my summons, she had one too. It was that water beast."

Red snorted. "Cloud, she's a materia thief. All that summons means is that she was able to get her fingers into someone of high class, much higher than herself. There are no nobles who would allow their children to act like her. Now, I do not believe that she has left yet—I believe she has her eye set out for the rest of us. One summons must mean more summons."

"But how do we get her?"

"Zack, I believe the way to get her is rather simple." To show the man, Red motioned to a blank spot on the ground, digging his nail into the dirt. Crudely drawn were three people, Zack, Cloud and Harlot, all shown by the small lettering above their dirt faces. "If she's in this forest, within at least a three mile radius, it will be possible for us to catch her. The materia that you had on your wrist, even if you hadn't used it, had bonded with your magic."

"But I never used it," Cloud pointed out.

"Matters not," Red said gruffly, "all you needed was time to bond with it. It is yours now and you can call it back to you. It would have been easier for you if you knew at least what it looked like, but nothing can be done now. Do you remember what it felt like in your hands?"

* * *

Zack stood a great distance away from Cloud with the others. Red had said the magic outlash could possibly be dangerous for anyone within a certain distance and, because Red had yet to be proven wrong, no one wanted to play roulette with a fully loaded gun.

Zack strained his eyes, seeing a few strands of wispy smoke-like substance curling from Cloud's mouth. "Is that normal?" His eyes flickered from Red to the small tendrils. "It looks like something's coming out of his mouth."

It wasn't Red who answered, but Aeris.

"Yes, it's normal. Have you not heard of some of the legends, where the prince or knight use magic that comes out of their mouths, like fire for example, to slay the monster or dragon?" She spun a finger through her curling bangs, smiling softly. The conversation from before was almost completely erased—the burn that Reno hadn't meant to do, the anger of his affairs, the heartache of his indecisiveness…

Zack gave a small smile and leaned forward to whisper into the woman's ear. "Was his name Zack, that prince of yours?"

"No, it was the beast's name," Red answered. "Now, will one of you girls go find Barret. I do not sense him in the area."

"Oh! Of course." Aeris smiled to the red-furred beast, leaning down to scratch behind his ears before grabbing hold of Tifa's arm and disappearing behind several trees.

"They would not like to see what happens next if all goes to plan. I do not wish to make either think we are savages. That harlot will come, and when she does Cloud will…"

Zack finished his sentence. "Breathe fire onto them?"

"Essentially, yes," he answered bluntly.

* * *

Thirteen minutes later, the trees began to rustle aimlessly. Red put his nose into the air and sniffed. There was a small chill in the air and the feeling of something deep in the forest running around, warking, as they shot of handfuls of ice magic.

"What in the Planet is she doing That is not the scent of our human girl, but of a—"

" _Chocobo_!" Cloud yelled, Zack and Red snapping their heads down to where the blond was, a chocobo riding closer and closer to him with the little thief on its back.

"You can't catch me, old guys! Ha!" she yelled this as she grabbed hold of the reins and pulled on them, sending a crack through the air.

The next few seconds were a blur; the girl was bucked off of the chocobo, which disappeared into nothingness, and Cloud clapped his hands together, activating the materia in the girl's satchel. It wasn't just the summons materia set off, Zack noticed with a hint of fear—the girl was fighting against hordes of spells being fired at her from all directions. It was like color an explosions, a symphony of fireworks begging to be released.

She screamed one long, droning scream as she fell back into the mossy ground and lay still. As the last bit of smoke cleared from her body, both Red and Zack ran forward.

"What was that?" Zack got down onto his knees, checking the girl's pulse. It was steady. The black bag sat limply under her unmoving wrist. He turned his head to Red, who was sniffing cautiously at the girl. She gave a grunt when his wet nose rubbed against her cheek.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Zack asked, taking in a deep breath. He looked over to where Cloud still stood, his eyes large, staring out at the trees. He didn't look alright, sick to his stomach from the color tinting against his cheeks, and Zack looked back down at the small teenage girl. She was better off than Cloud, he noticed.

"I…I believe so, yes," Red answered a moment later, moving his nose away from the girl, a small streak of wetness across her skin. "I think he's exhausted himself. I can get the girl to camp but you should go pick him up."

Zack didn't need to be told twice. Standing and walking slowly to Cloud, he heard Red grunt as he somehow managed to get the thin girl and all of her equipment strapped to her back onto his own back. Her feet dragged, the ends of her brightly colored shoes scuffing against the floor of the forest, and Zack turned back around to Cloud, giving a small smile that he couldn't have seen.

"Hey, Cloudy." Zack hesitantly reached one hand up to the blond's hair, lightly scratching at the small place that had given him comfort such a long time ago, back in Midgar. His blue eyes moved little by little to Zack's face. When Cloud noticed Zack standing next to him he fell to the side, the morning's small breakfast coming up a few feeble inches between Zack's boots.

Quickly moving away from the vomit, Zack got to his knees next to Cloud, who was still coughing. He removed his hands from Cloud's hair and ran one over Cloud's back, in what he hoped would be soothing. The other would around the loose strands in front of his face, away from his mouth. "Okay, get it all out," Zack leaned forward, putting his nose into the blonde, fluffy hair, "yeah, it's alright."

Cloud sagged into Zack's arms a moment later, his face horridly pale, skin chilled not by the morning breeze. Slowly, as to not make him sick yet again, Zack picked him up in his arms. Cloud's head nestled in the crook of his arm.

* * *

"You aren't going to eat me? Are you sure? Like, really, really sure?" The girl was hyperventilating, her gray eyes large and her mouth open. There were tear-streaks down her cheeks and she tried to struggle, inanely, against the handcuffs binding her wrists.

Aeris sat next to where the girl lay, pattering her fingers on the blankets. "Of course no one will eat you. Now, can you tell me your name. Hmm?" Her voice was misleadingly cheerful. Zack noticed a small hint of hesitation and the diminutive frown-line that marred the skin around her green eyes.

Instead, he rubbed the thin, filmy substance between his fingers, placing them gingerly to Cloud's temples. He whistled lightly as he massaged the pressure points, giving a small smile to his half-unconscious friend who only grunted in response. "Ah, you shouldn't worry 'bout her eating you, kid. You should be more worried about Red. I think he's more likely to eat you than Aeris."

The girl let out a pitiful whimper. "Don't eat me! I'm not mean, I swear! I'm useful and pretty an—and I'm like royalty!" She banged her hands around, trying to release them of their chains. "And I won't try stealing from you again!" she added as an afterthought.

"Guh," Cloud moaned, digging his nails into Zack's arm, attempting to pull himself up. "'Elp me up." Zack quickly put his arm underneath Cloud's head, ignoring the potion still smothered on his fingers. "You nearly killed me, twit. Why shouldn't Red eat you for dinner?"

"Because I don't t eat humans, nor do I ever wish to. Aeris." The beast bent down, the bucket making the barest of movements.

Aeris sent Red a smile, taking off the bucket, Zack watching as she staggered a small bit with the weight, water sloshing over the sides. "Th-thank you, Red," she panted mildly, dropping the water bucket next to the still-horrified girl.

Now that he could get a good look at her, rather than the fleeting glimpse of her back end as she ran off into the gilding trees, Zack noticed how young she was. Her gray eyes were wide and open, the lashes thick, curling up onto her bottom cheek, reminding the ex-SOLDIER what a small infant looked like coiled at their mother's bosom. She forced her bottom lip quiver unconscientiously and she kept spotting off childish nonsense of someone wanting to eat her. Despite the fairly pale skin, Zack still noticed the slanted Wutaian eyes and the dark black hair.

"What's you're name, kid? I keep thinking of you as 'Materia', but I don't think your mother was that type a lady, 'specially if she was Wutaian."

The girl bobbed her head sharply, stopping her actions for an instant. The tears seemed to dry faster than her voice could produce words. "Ah, thanks buddy! See, somebody 'round this dump knows that I'm from Wutai! Now, how 'bout you let me go?" She gave a crooked smile, showing her shackles again.

"Just give your name before I make you talk," Cloud grumbled from the side, causing Zack to turn his head and nod.

She hmphed. "My name's Yuffie, Yuffie Kisaragi, and I'm the coolest ninja you'll ever see! R—really. Now will you let me go?" Yuffie's enthusiasm seemed to plummet down off the ledge when none went to free her. Zack watched her bat her eyelids a few times, pouting out her bottom lip again. "Aw, come _onnnnnnnnnn_."

Zack turned a deaf ear to the teenager's whining. "Whatever, squirt." He let his eyes trail over her face impassively one more time before going back that that of his comrades. When he met Aeris's eyes, her hands dunking into the water and soaking a cloth to put on the girl's squirming forehead. She gave a brief nod before wiping her hands on the bottom of her pink dress.

"Zack," she countered, "do you really think it's wise…?" Trailing off into nothing, Aeris closed her eyes, taking in a breath.

But before he could turn back to tell the gray-eyed girl that he, as the leader, had no qualms with allowing her to either hightail it as far away from the camp as possible or tag along for the ride, Cloud interrupted him.

"Don't think about it, Fair! She's a liability—more than anybody else here."

"You don't think I realized this?" Zack snapped, his eyes looking down, ghosting over the calluses on his fingertips. "Shit, Cloud, ya don't think I think about these things?"

"She talking in fucking tongues already," Cloud exclaimed, clapping his hands together in front of him. "Next she's going to want a human sacrifice and then a vial of blood every morning."

Yuffie stopped her screeching, cut off short by Cloud's words. Zack turned to see the girl's face turn a fleshy ginger. She jerked her head up, spurting off obscenities faster than Zack could catch them. "How dare you!?" Lunging forward, the bucket of water dumping across the plastic bottom of the tent, Yuffie lifted her handcuffs up and with an immense war cry launched herself at Cloud. "You stupid _blondie_!"

Zack watched, clucking his tongue against the back of his teeth, the faint taste of staleness washing over his taste buds. This Yuffie kid reminded hi of himself so much that it almost made him sick, especially when her war cry became a sharp yell of aggravation when Aeris pushed her lightly back down, her cries becoming that of complaints about the cold water.

"I guess you shouldn't have dumped it out." Cloud crossed his arms, his nose rising into the air.

"I swear, the both of you," Zack said, motioning to the two. He couldn't deny the happiness, even if it was a rather odd happiness, from bubbling and frothing to the surface in his heart.

Cloud wearily eyed the black-haired man before lying back down, Zack returning to rubbing circles at the blond's hairline. "Whatever." He closed his glowing eyes, twisting into a more comfortable position. "Just wait 'til Barret or Tifa find out about your little hope for a mini-me, Zack. Let's see how pleased they'll be."

"Mini-me?" Yuffie moved her head a bit, her gray eyes meeting Zack's violet ones. "You want to keep me around? Pleasssssse? I'll be good, I swear!"

"Sweet Holy," Aeris whispered, a small laugh escaping from her lush pink lips, "she could be your daughter, Zack."

Zack revolted against the idea, sticking out his tongue. "No way. That mean's she'd be yours too!"

* * *

The morning winds were tranquil and somewhat cheerful, much unlike the thoughts corrupting and circulating through Zack Fair's unstable and disturbed mind. There was the heavy feeling lingering on his tongue that resembled distraught, of something that he didn't quite understand. Why was he so… upset? Angry? Was he either of these emotions or something more, something far more alarming than those bare and rather inane emotions?

Why was he fighting so hard to get to Sephiroth? It wasn't his mother and town that had been slaughtered; that was Cloud's burden. Even if he tried to take some of the lingering pain from him, it couldn't equal the amount of energy spent trying to capture and slaughter the lunatic. Sephiroth had always been a fascinating man, a man whose words were more complex than the most difficult jigsaw puzzle, a man whose mind was lost to the depths of the universe, never to be taken back. But that wasn't the reason why he wanted to kill the silver-haired general.

Was it because the General had explicitly betrayed him? Zack could still not remember anything after seeing Tifa; after he viewed the blood from her wounds time seemed to stop, the world twisting out of shape into the deep depressing gloom of nothingness. Had something, even as small as a straightforward word exchanged between the two, made this burning, violent desire develop in his heart? The two had been battle buddies of a sort, trying their hardest to protect Angeal…

How funny that now, as Zack watched the sun rise in streams of lush, beautiful reds and blues, all he could think of was a madman. Shouldn't he have been thinking of things more pleasant, more _suiting_ for the dawn, as the sun came up to banish the darkness of night?

The urge to shed Sephiroth's blood was partially fed by Cloud's own desire of revenge and Zack's longing to make the world a better, more suitable place to stand in. He despised knowing that a man who had murdered such sweet people, Kysen had been as much of a mother to him during that wonderful week before Sephiroth had gone insane as his own mother... To let such a deed go unpunished was a crime. It had torn him apart in Aeris's room to tell Cloud of his mother's death, and again the festering wounds were opened by having to tell of Sephiroth's part in the situation.

Maybe he wasn't fighting for himself, or for the people lost or the children he would have later on in his life.

Maybe he was fighting because Cloud wanted, no, _needed_ , him to do it with him. The blond was strong, one of the strongest people Zack had ever encountered in his short life, and to see someone so strong cry...

Zack fought because Cloud needed to, and for some reason he was perfectly satisfied with accepting that fact. His friends were important enough to lay his life down for and there were many perks dealing with a group of high and almighty terrorist organizations.

One being that he would one day slit Professor Hojo's throat, but that was just a bonus.

* * *

"So you're going to let this… Yuffie... come with us?" Tifa's arched black eyebrows rose, her red-wine eyes staring off into Zack's, bewilderment etched into her petite face. "Really, Zack? She _did_ rob us and probably would have gotten more if not for Red. How's he on this idea?"

Zack took a swig of water from his cup, saddling his legs over the broken tree stump. "It's like this," he said as he put down the cup in the dark earth, grinding it in so it wouldn't fall, "she's kind of a liability. It's better that we keep our eyes on her."

Tifa massaged her hands together, her dark gloves rubbing against each other to create a sound akin to squelching. Zack watched as the black-haired martial artist cringed at the sound, taking off the gloves and placing them next to Zack's cup. "Only you would want a girl who tries to rob us in our group. She'll probably rob us blind in the middle of the night and creep on back home, but," Tifa gazed down, giving a quick huff of defeat, "because I think you can be right at times I'm not going to fight about this with you. I'll trust you, and if she ends up doing exactly as I've predicted I think I'll end up having your head. Deal?"

"I like my head, so you can expect that everything'll be just dandy." Zack leaned forward, grabbing his cup and taking a long swig of the water. "So, you've got yourself a deal. Now, why don't we talk about something different, y'know, something that doesn't involve me losing body parts like most of our conversations wander to?"

Tifa took the small ponytail from the bottom of her hair, combing her fingers through the long brown tresses to get out most of the kinks. "How are you and Aeris?"

"We're fine, thanks. Don't know if that's a good thing for you or not..." to prove his point the ex-SOLDIER leaned forward, wriggling his brows suggestively.

"Don't even think like that." Tifa pushed him back, rapping him across his head playfully.

He pushed one hand into his pocket, twirling the cup around and around with the index finger of his other. "Don't be mad. Is it because my hair is prettier than yours? Don't get jealous about that; my Ma drank honey and egg whites when pregnant with me, an old Gongagan wive's remedy to make babies prettier."

"I'm perfectly pretty, and you know that isn't what I'm talking about. Aeris told me about the couple in Kanon and their striking resemblance to…"

"What you goin' on about? What coup—oh, them. Jack and Mark?"

Tifa said nothing.

"Oh, no, Jak and Max. That was it. What about them again? Resemblance?" Their faces popped into Zack's mind, more so their rather odd relationship, especially for such a quiet town. "Don't remember much to think of a resemblance."

Tifa sighed and tied her hair back again, standing from next to Zack. "Never mind," she voiced, "it's pointless to talk about this, especially now. I'll go talk to Barret about our little addition to the group. Maybe we'll talk some other time."

* * *

Their conversation never continued, because when the two got back to their haven, Yuffie's loud, noxious voice had begun to scream obscenities.

"No, you big fat ugly-face! I'm not leaving! Nyah!"

"Shu' up you brat! Shut yur trap or I'll do it for ya!"

"Did your mom drop you on your head or sumthin'?!"

"Barret, don't! Let her go!"

"No, Aeris, I'm gunna squeeze her 'til she—"

" _Ahhhhh! I told you it'd try to eat meeeeeeeeeee!_ "

"Red, why are you trying to eat her?"

"I figured if I scared her she might quiet herself."

"Well, go ahead and continue. Maybe you should aim to bite off her tongue. Maybe her jugular."

_This is what I'm going to have to deal with for the rest of this trip. Great,_ Zack thought as he watched Yuffie running away from both Barret, Aeris trailing after them trying to stop them from killing one another. Both Cloud and Red sat near the girl's tent, Cloud pouring water from a plastic jug into a small bowl for Red to drink.

"If you bite her again maybe I'll slip something better into that bottle for the both of you." Zack dropped down to the ground next to the two, pulling the jug away from Cloud's lips. "Oh, wait," Zack took a quick sniff and then an experimental taste, "look's like someone already did that. You've been keeping things from me, princess. Alcohol isn't the thing you keep from dear buddies."

"Not our fault you hadn't thought of it," Cloud explained as he snatched back the bottle. "And what did I tell you about that nickname?"

"Aw, Buddy, what are you doing drinking that?" The ex-SOLDIER suddenly snatched the bowl of vodka right from in front of Red's face, dumping it out into the earth. "Bad stuff, especially if you you've got a tail."

"I am not named 'Buddy', nor is Cloud 'Princess'."

As Yuffie's screeching continued, gunshots and muffled scream loud in the camp, Aeris shooting off sleep spell after sleep spell, Zack smiled at the two others with him. "Trust me," Zack leaned close to Cloud, whispering heavily into the blond's ear, "my nicknames are pretty mellow compared to what that little twit'll come up with. Mark my words." He leaned back and away from Cloud's fuming face to assess the damage he would, undoubtedly, have to fix some way or another.

* * *

Zack never expected that it would be easy to take on the ninja-girl into the party, but she was just too big of a damn _liability_. Cloud had nailed the problem on the head; it was not safe to let the girl go wandering off aimlessly. Yuffie would probably steal from every person in the entire forest before someone put a stop to her, which would have brought upon her subsequent, and probably rather painful and messy, death.

And so the girl trailed behind him, shooting off random questions, some of which were completely and totally... well, wrong.

"So, you're about how old?"

"Eighteen...Twenty-three."

"How are you eighteen and twenty-three?"

"It's complicated.

"And are you married?"

"No."

"Will you marry me?"

"No."

"Will you make pretty babies with me?"

"No."

"Are you sayin' I'm ugly."

"Nudge me again kid and I can't promise you anything—"

"Just say you'll make pretty black-haired purple-eyed babies with me and I'll leave ya alone. Promise."

"Fine, Yuffie. I'll make babies with you as long as you _leave me alone_."

"You're gay, aren't you?"

Zack took most of his strength from his mother's words ( _if you ever hit a child or girl, I will come out of thin air and deck you senseless, Zack Fair)_ , which was why he didn't just turn around and swing his arms around wildly, not caring who or what was in his way. The girl, _Yuffie_ , the word dripping like poison from a snake's mouth, made Zack's teeth grind. She was as unpleasant as pissing in snow.

"I'm dating Aeris," Zack started before he was promptly cut off by the self-proclaimed ninja.

She scoffed and pointed over her shoulder to where the rest of the group lingered not to far away, Cloud and Aeris trailing next to one another, the green-eyed woman panted ever so slightly. "I figured you were with the blond dude. How old is he? My age, right? You're all 'I'm older, blahdy blah,' and you still look pretty much like a kid to me. Maybe you should grow some facial hair or sumthin'. Might give you some kinda edge, y'know?"

Zack snapped his eyes away from the two others, narrowing them at the black-haired girl. "You just don't know how to shut up, do ya?"

"Nope."

For a moment he wondered if there was anything else on the Planet that was quite as annoying as Yuffie. He decided no, and just smiled. Zack slung his arm over the girl's shoulder, surprising both himself and the teenager. "You know what?"

"Uh."

" _Well_ ," Zack drawled, letting a smirk flit over his lips, only half-horrifying, "I think we might jus' get along."

* * *

Yuffie was different. Not in a good way either.

"So, old man, why aren't you the big honcho dude? Zack kicked you out of the leading with his—"

Barret, if possible, was not looking too healthy, Zack mused as he took a sip of his water.

Aeris put one hand on the man's shoulder, sending him a pointed look that Zack could easily understand. _Don't kill her._

Zack snorted as he took a sip, a terrible combination which left his eyes watering. Barret seemed to still be hoping his eyes would light the puny girl on fire. She was sucking on a lollipop and doing some sort of dance with her legs twisting in odd positions as she swung around.

"I don't think that's a good question to be asking, Yuffie," Aeris explained. "But, if you want, you can come with me as I make supper. How about that? The guys are a bit tired and cranky." Aeris clicked her bracelets together, creating a monotonous sound akin to a bell. "Come on, I'll make sure that Tifa gives you an extra spoonful of syrup in your oatmeal tomorrow morning."

This made the girl jump up, waving her arms around. Yuffie pulled out the lollipop from her cherry-stained lips. "You got it!" she yelled, nearly sending the candy into the air when she made an exuberant show to salute Aeris.

Barret mumbled something intelligibly, the ex-SOLDIER only able to catch the words 'damn mini' and 'you're a damn fool'.

"Aw," Zack sniffled, "you don't like either of us much, do ya?"

Barret did not answer.

"Doesn't matter to me, bossman. Me and you, even if you don't like it, are stuck doing this until we bring down Shinra and get our hands on Sephiroth." Zack picked at his thumb before placing the digit in his mouth, worrying the tip. "I mean, you know that there's no getting off of this track. We've just got to climb on up and pretend like there's nothing in our way."

"You so damn strange," Barret let out a guttural laugh unexpectedly, causing Zack's eyebrows to rise into his hairline. "Both a ya are fuckin' crazy, Spiky. I ain't sure I wanna deal wit' this no more." His words did not match his laughter, even with it rough around the edges.

Zack cocked his head. "Have you gotten into the kid's stash of sugar? Or was it Cloud's liquor?"

"I ain't no drunk," the man snarled, the laughter that once hung in the air now gone.

Zack stood, leaving his cup on the ground. "Y'know what, I think I'm gunna go hang out with Tifa or Cloud. Give you a bit of room—"

"Look, shit. I... it's been a rough day. I miss Marlene." Barret stood up as well, speaking far too quickly for Zack to catch.

"I'm a marshmallow? Huh?"

"I sai'," Barret annunciated, "I miss Marlene."

Not knowing what to say, or if it was possible to say anything, Zack sat himself back down. "Ah," he said, wishing he had just walked away. "Wanna talk 'bout it?"

Barret scoffed. "Don't need ta talk ta you 'bout it. Juz' though' maybe..."

"Well, you have a picture of her, don't you?"

"Naw," he answered. "All I got is mah heart, which ain't 'nuff. Wish I had."

Zack picked up his cup, rocking it between his fingers, the cool condensation on the side soft on his fingers. "Well, you can go and ask Tifa if she's got one. I know she had one back at the bar. Maybe she grabbed it before she left?"

"You mean the pilla' fallin' 'cause o' that red monsta'."

_Red Monster. How fitting._

"Yeah."

* * *

Yuffie was worse than Zack had first thought. She was not only annoying him, but everyone else. He knew they were getting closer to Junon (from the thick cascades of smoke and the smell of burning rubber that would involuntarily wiggle itself into his nostrils) but this just seemed to provoke the girl who was now _singing_.

Zack shook his head, waiting for his eardrums to begin _bleeding_. Yuffie could do something that was more annoying than talk. She could sing, which would have been only acceptable for a deaf man needing loud banging to make his heart stop prematurely. Otherwise, Zack was sure, nothing could survive.

"I think she's doing that to clear a way for us," Aeris whispered, holding her hand up to her face, preventing the boisterous gray-eyed girl from hearing them.

"Maybe it's killing all of the monsters?" Zack interjected, smirking. As Yuffie hit a particularly high note, Zack could see Cloud and Tifa cringe a few feet away. "Or maybe it'll kill us?"

Aeris stiffled a laugh. "You are probably right, Zack. She doesn't seem so _fond_ of us—"

"No, really? Took you long enough to realize that," Cloud yelled over the incessant noise echoing over the fields. "She's trying to kill us."

Zack ran his fingers through the belt-loops of his SOLDIER pants, tugging on them lightly. "You don't seem to be in a very loving mood, Cloudy-boy. I think the song's getting to ya."

"Hardly."

* * *

Junon was no more beautiful than Midgar. The town below, seeming to be eaten by the large expansive machinery and blue-clothed beasts with the title of Shinra grunts, was about as attractive as Yuffie's atrocious singing.

"It looks dead." Cloud looked at the people, Zack's eyes trailing the tracks the mako blue eyes were creating. "Everything here is just... dead."

And Cloud was right.

Everyone was sickly pale and underfed. The people of the small town Junon were jagged and weather-beaten, more so pollution-beaten. A man sitting in front of the ransacked and dilapidated inn (or what Zack believed to be the inn) coughed miserably; it was the sound of hopelessness and pain. His old lips had a greenish tint, as if his cells had begun to take on the color of mako, which considering what lay above the small town would not have surprised Zack in the slighted.

"I agree with you, Cloud," Aeris whispered, hoisting her pack further onto he back. "This place, it's just so..." she wrinkled her nose, "it's disgusting what these people have to live through because of Shinra."

Barret growled a few chosen words. "Neva' undastan' how people can jus' let Shinra come in and destroy everything. It's jus' _wrong_."

"Shinra doesn't give these people a choice, if that is not clear enough to you. They are forced to give up their land... I remember," Red's voice dropped as he inspected the ground, pawing through the dirt that was layered with soot and fish bones, "when this place was beautiful. My grandpa had taken me across the ocean to come here—a small fishing harbor that was bountiful with the fruits of the sea."

"Doesn't look like that anymore, huh? Kinda like someone stuck this entire crack-joint in a blender, actually." Yuffie took the lollipop out of her mouth, teeth stained blue this time. "Jeez, you'd think they woulda' at least _tried_." The gray-eyed girl shrugged her shoulders, her frizzled hair sticking out in the back. She ran her hand through her hair. "Just find me a bathroom! I wanna wash my hair and get all of these _old people_ crap off a me. You guys know how groddie it is to have to eat that crap you call food? Boobs, you gotta let me cook some time. Maybe we wouldn't all feel gross."

Zack saw Tifa twitch. "Yuffie, stop it," the woman glowered. Her voice cracked, causing a few of the townspeople to turn their eyes to the group. Cloud waved a half-wave as he grimaced, nudging Tifa on the arm gently.

"Calm down, Tif. You know she's doing it to piss you off."

"Oh yeah, big-boobies? You wanna fight with me? I'll kick your ass you—"

"Yuffie?" Aeris sent a look to Yuffie, her face smiling even as the blood at her temple throbbed viciously under pinched skin. "Yuffie, it may not be the best time to..."

"We're attracting attention," Cloud stated, putting his hand on Tifa's shoulder. "None of us have gotten any sleep and you're just pushing everyone, Yuffie."

Barret spoke up next. "An' Tifa's cookin' is jus' fine. I like it an' everybody else likes it. You jus' ain't used ta actual food, y'know, bein' a damn barbarian."

"Whu... was that cuz' I'm Wutaian?" There was a tint to Yuffie's face, high at temples, and it almost looked as though Barret's words had hurt.

Zack nudged the girl's pack with his boot. "Yuffie, don't get into this. You're being a pain in the ass."

The girl took off, though no one bothered to follow.

"Zack, I can't deal with her."

"Tifa, I'd be the first to admit I'd prefer leaving her here with the fish, but we can't just leave her. Not if she's going to show up in the middle of the night and rob us blind." Zack gave the woman a soft smile. "And your boobs are bigger than hers. They're nice. Don't let it get to—"

* * *

_At least he didn't aim for the nose again,_ Zack thought as he gingerly placed his ice materia against his right eye, wishing that Cloud had a bad aim.

"No," Aeris stated sharply, hiding her bangle behind her back. "Tifa is rather upset with you—don't give me that look, Zack." She sighed and sat down on the dirty sidewalk next to where Zack sat, giving her his best impression of a puppy dog. "You know that it was wrong to talk about it like..."

"It was a compliment!" Zack cried, thrusting his hands out to catch hold of Aeris'. "You know I wasn't being mean or malicious and Cloud has a thing for hitting me. Just one more time, _pleeeease_?"

Aeris turned to look at where the rest of the group lingered. Cloud stared out into the distance through the fog and smog toward the shoreline, while Yuffie jumped up in down in front of him, holding her throat is if it was choking her. Cloud pointedly ignored her.

"We had to use a Silence spell," Aeris explained as she removed her digits from Zack's pleading fingers, folding them on her lap. "She was too rowdy and a few of the elders of the town stated that if she kept on talking that they would forcefully remove us from town."

Zack coughed, bending into the crook of his raised arm that was still trying to wiggle into the brunette's grip. After a moment he sighed and returned to icing his eye. "Warm welcoming," he added wryly.

"You can't be angry at them. They've had a hard life, much like so many other people controlled by the Shinra. This place, if Red's right, was once beautiful. They hate foreigners... and that's exactly what we are to them."

"But I guess a good thing came out of the entire thing," Zack jerked his head to Yuffie, who was stamping her foot on the ground, causing Red to sneeze, "we finally figured out a way to shut the brat up." He smiled and watched as Aeris sighed before pulling the green ball of restore materia from her bangle. "Aw, you do love me." Zack took his hands from his injured eye, placing them, along with the ice materia, against his heart.

"Of course I do," she explained as if speaking to a small child. "I've always loved you. Even when you are talking about other women's... assets."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I like my women with smaller chest. Tifa isn't my type; you are." Zack's mouth felt dry for some unexplainable reason. He loved Aeris. She was _Aeris_. Beautiful, intelligent, charismatic, and so many other things.

Zack didn't listen to his irrational side; that side had a penchant for answering in riddles.

He was barely pulled from his trance by Aeris' next comment. "Flattery will only get you so far, Zack. But, I love you anyway."

"Of course you do."

"Careful," Aeris whispered as she leaned close, the cloud of green spritzing across the wound, "I wouldn't want you to become a narcissist."

Zack moved his head to allow the probing magic to heal his aching skin. "You wouldn't love me if I was a narcissist?"

Aeris tucked the materia into her bangle once the task was complete. She stood from the sidewalk, swishing her dress lightly. "I don't know, Zack. Just make sure you don't become one, alright? I think, anyway," a deep smile rose, "that Cloud would probably give you quite a few more bruises than that."

Sending a quick look at Cloud, who was standing stoically in front of a hardware store, Yuffie still waving her hands in front of him crazily, Zack gave a wince. "Yeah, wouldn't put it past him. He's... Aer. He's been really different lately." Zack looked up to the woman, resisting the urge to pick at his shirt. "He wasn't like this... not before."

"People can change, especially when they are forced into compromising situations," Aeris hummed.

"Maybe..." But even saying it felt wrong, like it were a lie.

"Anyway," Aeris explained with a sheepish smile, "I just finally got that materia to level up. The last one, might I add. I need you to go send it over."

"So you don't love me?"

"Of course I do." She leaned over and placed a kiss on Zack's lips, and for a moment he wondered why they felt so cold.

* * *

Zack stared at the piles of mail stacked in the corner of the small post office, wondering if they were even working. Letters, aged with yellow and doused in mold, stuck out in random directions, dates from years back written on the envelopes. The man standing behind the counter looking shockingly similar to the paper, but was missing the mold. His eyes held the knowledge of a century-old man, yet he could not have been half of that.

"Hiya." Zack placed a bag of materia shining in the dull light coming from the low-watt lightbulbs above down on the counter. The man eyed him wearily. "I need to send these over to a neighboring town, Landonell? Yeah, that was it." A woman in Kanon had asked for them to be leveled and sent to her son in the small town not too far from Junon. The Mythril Mines were just too much for her. "How much is it gonna cost?"

"We don't travel to Landonell," the man stated brusquely. "I suggest you try above. We have nothing to offer to your kind."

For a moment Zack stood in confusion. "Huh? Wait, are you saying that you won't send out my shit because of what I am? What am I, exactly?"

"Shinra."

Zack scoffed. "Hardly, buddy. Now, how much is it going to cost to send this to Landonell?"

The aged man stood up, sticking out his chest. "Three hundred gil if you wish for anyone in this town to sent your mail."

Looking over at the prices, Zack nearly laughed. He pointed to the sign half obscured by a hefty amount of dirt and dust. "And here it says that it would only cost half as much to get you to send a chocobo to Landonell. But y'know what?" Zack pulled out his wallet, producing several hundreds and fifties, tossing them on the table next to the glowing orbs. "There ya go. Now, can you please send these to Landonell? The address is—"

Grabbing his chest, the man wheezed a shrill reply. "Out of my shop!" he yelled, anger and fear covering his cheeks. "Out!"

"Eh?"

" _Out_!"

"What? I'm paying you, aren't I?" Zack banged his fist on the table, rattling the materia and the money. "Look, do you want more? How much are you looking for?"

The man ignored Zack's pleading, tossing the bag of marble-like magics and the money onto the ground. "Get out," he chanted, "or I will call the authorities or pull out the biggest gun I can find."

"Fine!"

Seething outside of the rundown post office, Zack was only approached by Tifa.

"What're you so pissed off about?" she asked, folding her arms subconsciously over her chest area. Zack rolled his eyes and punched the metal pillar in front of him. There was a dent, and for a moment Zack wanted to pull off his Buster Sword from his back and chop the damn thing down. "You're bleeding."

The ex-SOLDIER looked down at his hand, seeing that she was right. There was blood oozing from a new wound, and the adrenaline masked the pain. "Oh."

"Oh?"

Zack rubbed his hand on his pants. "Guy won't let me send the materia. I gave him the money _,_ gave him more than it cost, but he told me to get outta his shop. Don't get what that was about..."

"Did you... show me the money you gave him."

Zack looked at the woman for a moment. "Why?" he asked.

"Just give it to me."

"Fine." Zack handed over the bag of materia he shoved in his pocket along with the money. "Don't see the big deal about money. I mean, it's just money."

"It's not, actually," Tifa explained, staring at a few of the bills. "Old currency was taken away and replaced with new money. You've been carrying around Shinra money for a while and giving it out. No wonder the man was angry."

"Huh?"

Tifa clucked her tongue against her teeth. "About five years ago the entire currency was switched. All of the bills were given to a specific sector of Shinra. They're the only people who use it nowadays. This money you've been giving out," she held the bills between her fingers, pointing to the serial numbers, "is literally Shinra money."

"Is that why you flipped out on me the first time I came into the bar?"

Tifa nodded. "I figured you were just a recruit who thought he was hot shit." she explained, scratching her head. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Zack shrugged, looking down at his hand. The wound was filling with some of the mako in his blood. "Well, guess I cut that deep enough."

"How does that work anyway?"

Zack shrugged as he watched his skin knit back together. "Mako in the blood. Sometimes it heals hangnails, but other times it'll only heal the big things. It all has to do with the mako in me. They... they don't explain too much. Afraid we'll purposely hurt ourselves to see how far we can go." Zack stretched his fingers, not even feeling a sting any longer. "Well, I guess we should get going and find some place to stay before it gets dark. It's already four and I don't think it would be all too great for us to be sleepin' on the sidewalk."

Tifa agreed. "Yeah. We should go find Cloud. He dragged Yuffie off somewhere. I think to the beach."

"Maybe he'll drown her?"

"We would only be so lucky," the woman admitted through her frustrated snort. "She's _just_ a kid, and you did want to bring her along."

The two left the area, Zack following after the dark-haired woman. "You know what," Zack said suddenly, causing Tifa to turn around. "I kinda like your cooking."

Zack's violet eyes widened when Tifa scowled. "More than my chest, I hope."

"I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have said it."

Tifa nodded her head. "Yeah, I figured. Sorry Cloud hit you."

"I kinda deserved it."

"A bit, yeah..." Tifa tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. "It's just... It's been a rough few weeks. I know we can't get rid of her right now, but it's all just... a lot."

Zack would have hugged her, had she been Aeris. And yet instead the two walked in silence toward the coastline.

The beach was not too far off, but the rising tide was swelling. Zack could see a few bodies walking on the sandy shore dotted with the carcasses of the dead sea, but something was not quite _right._ The water was washing up too fast, and there was a large area underneath several towers where there was an extraordinary amount of light shining down. In the shallow water something was _lingering_.

Before Zack could begin to run, Tifa trailing behind, ta tiny, broken body swept below the tide as an enormous monster stuck its head out of the polluted water and shrieked.


End file.
